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Report Suggests that Doctors are a Leading Cause of Death

Friday, May 13, 2016

Report Suggests that Doctors are a Leading Cause of Death

Groups claiming to speak for the medical profession have long criticized America’s gun culture in general and NRA in particular. Besides supporting an array of gun controls and suggesting that firearms do not belong in the same communities as children, the groups bewail limitations on the use of public funding for supposed “studies” that in reality are thinly-disguised advocacy pieces with preordained anti-gun conclusions. Even fictional doctors have been coopted into gun control efforts.

But a recent analysis by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine published in BMJ shockingly concludes that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. (behind only heart disease and cancer), accounting for more than 250,000 fatalities a year. This is almost ten times the number of annual deaths attributable to firearms, including the some 20,000 that occur by suicide.

Perhaps even more ironically, the study (as an NPR report put it), “highlights how shortcomings in tracking vital statistics may hinder research and keep the problem out of the public eye.” According to the report, the coding system used by the Centers for Disease Control to record death certificate data “doesn't capture things like communication breakdowns, diagnostic errors and poor judgment that cost lives.” The lead author of the Johns Hopkins study, Dr. Martin Makary, claims that this deficit leads to a “vast underrecognition of the place of medical care as the cause of death,” which in turn, “informs all our national health priorities and our research grants.”

So even as doctors are reportedly making mistakes, killing hundreds of thousands of people as a result, and obscuring that fact with faulty data,
they’re pointing the finger at Second Amendment advocates for what their self-appointed spokespersons claim is an epidemic of gun violence. They also criticize Second Amendment supporters for being “anti-science” and supposedly trying to ”muzzle” doctor/patient communication.

That’s ironic, to say the least.

We recognize that medicine has a noble pedigree and purpose, and the miracles of modern healthcare generally lead to better lives for all Americans. Most of us have good relationships with our doctors and appreciate the excellent work they do to save and improve quality of life.

But as a frequent target of high-handed scorn from self-important physicians, we would simply reiterate a point we have made many times in the past. Doctors
should stay out of the firearm debate -- where they have little subject matter or public policy expertise to contribute -- and tend to their own business.

If the BMJ study has any validity,
there is plenty of room for improvement in their own hospitals and clinics, and the potential to save lives with reform in those contexts far outstrips the potential to save lives with politically-motivated gun control. We hope the BMJ study and the publicity it has generated will lead the medical profession to reexamine its priorities and focus inwardly to “first, do no harm,” before pointing the finger at NRA and others who are committed to protecting the Second Amendment. 

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Rep. Sheri Biggs Introduces Legislation to Ensure Ability to Ship Firearms

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Thursday, May 1, 2025

Rep. Sheri Biggs Introduces Legislation to Ensure Ability to Ship Firearms

On April 28, 2025, Representative Sheri Biggs (R-SC-03) introduced the Protecting the Mailing of Firearms Act (H.R. 3033). This legislation will remove the arbitrary prohibition on the mailing of handguns and ammunition via the United States Postal ...

New Hampshire: Hearing on Firearms Safety Training in Schools This Week

Monday, May 5, 2025

New Hampshire: Hearing on Firearms Safety Training in Schools This Week

On Friday, May 9th, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on an amendment to SB 54 that would require NRA's Hunter Education and Eddie Eagle GunSafe programs to be taught in New Hampshire Schools. 

Anti-gun Lawmakers Attempt to Ban Essential Second Amendment Arms

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Monday, May 5, 2025

Anti-gun Lawmakers Attempt to Ban Essential Second Amendment Arms

On April 30, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced the so-called “Assault Weapons Ban of 2025.” Picking up where his predecessor Dianne Feinstein left off, Schiff’s legislation would ban commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms, such as the AR-15.

Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

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Friday, March 21, 2025

Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

On March 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published an interim final rule entitled, Withdrawing the Attorney General’s Delegation of Authority. That bland title belies the historic nature of the measure, which is aimed at reviving ...

Maine: Anti-Gun Bills Receive Bipartisan Opposition in Committee

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Maine: Anti-Gun Bills Receive Bipartisan Opposition in Committee

On Wednesday, May 7th, the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary voted on several gun-related bills. After a lengthy discussion, all anti-gun bills received bipartisan opposition.

Kansas Supreme Court Enforces PLCAA in High Profile Case

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Monday, May 5, 2025

Kansas Supreme Court Enforces PLCAA in High Profile Case

Last week, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld a significant district court dismissal in Johnson v. Bass Pro Outdoor World, LLC, deciding that Bass Pro Outdoor World and Beretta USA/Beretta Italy cannot be sued by a man who ...

Not Your Father’s DOJ: Government Actively Backs Second Amendment in Litigation

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Monday, May 5, 2025

Not Your Father’s DOJ: Government Actively Backs Second Amendment in Litigation

It has, in theory, always been the sworn duty of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to uphold the constitutional rights of American citizens and to affirmatively protect fundamental liberties. 

Oregon: Senate Hearing Scheduled for Gun-Control Omnibus Bill

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Oregon: Senate Hearing Scheduled for Gun-Control Omnibus Bill

On Monday, May 12th, the Senate Rules Committee will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 243, an omnibus gun-control bill. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 1pm.  

Missouri: Firearms Preemption Bill Passes House Committee

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Missouri: Firearms Preemption Bill Passes House Committee

Yesterday, May 6th, the House General Laws Committee passed House Bill 726, strengthening firearms preemption laws, by a vote of 7-1. 

Partisan Due Process Renaissance Excludes American Gun Owners

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Monday, May 5, 2025

Partisan Due Process Renaissance Excludes American Gun Owners

An observer of American political discourse can’t go anywhere these days without being bombarded by reproachful references to the importance of “due process.”

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Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.