>With this introduction MSJAMA (Medical Student Journal of the American
>Medical Association) opened the following medical student opinion poll:
>”In the United States, firearms are used to commit a majority of all
>homicides, guns in the home increase the risk of homicide almost 3-fold,
>and the risk of suicide almost 5-fold. Most of the risk is related to
>handguns. Given these data do you feel that a universal ban on handgun
>sales and licenses would be an appropriate public health measure?” The
>four choices for participants were: 1. All public health statistics
>aside, the right to bear arms is absolutely protected by the Second
>Amendment of the United States Constitution. 2. The right to bear arms
>is supported by Charlton Heston. Anything that is considered good for
>Charlton Heston must also be good for the public health. 3. These data
>clearly demonstrate that access to handguns is a significant and
>preventable cause of homicide and suicide; therefore, public health
>measures limiting the distribution of handguns are long overdue. 4.
>Better data on the epidemiology of firearm-related death are required
>before a universal handgun ban would be justified At the end of the
>polling period (4/7/00), there were 9650 votes recorded; the result:
>
>#1. 90 percent (8641 votes)
>#2. 3 percent (247 votes)
>#3. 2 percent (229 votes)
>#4. 6 percent (533 votes
>
>This last choice was, incidentally, MSJAMA editor’s choice. This was
>definitely a gun poll that backfired- despite the relentless propaganda
>for gun control in AMA publications! -
>
>Refer to: MEDICAL SENTINEL VOLUME 5 NUMBER 3 MAY/JUNE 2000