One year ago, the American Medical Association "considered, debated, and then decided to pass when asked to join 36 other medical groups in an initiative intended to curb firearm-related injuries." They decided at their annual meeting not to endorse a call for universal background checks for all gun purchases last year. This year, at their annual meeting, they decided to take a stand.
In a dramatic show of new-found solidarity, the American Medical Association's House of Delegates [Tuesday] in Chicago, IL approved a resolution to take a stand against gun violence and to lobby Congress to repeal a ban on funding research into its causes. The resolution calls gun violence a public health problem.The near-unanimous vote came as 55 co-sponsors signed on to the resolution last night as supporters of the measure. It originated with the AMA House of Delegates LGBT advisory committee. […]
One delegate noted that the AMA’s gay delegates often go to clubs in the cities where the AMA House of Delegates holds its meetings. The next such meeting is already scheduled for Orlando, FL. "Had this taken place during the interim meeting [in Orlando] I guarantee you we would be having a moment of silence for delegates we had lost," he said.
"We are shaken, this hit home for us and our community in Orlando," he said.
Another delegate noted that there were six shooting deaths in Chicago just during the course of this AMA meeting. After the vote, which received a standing ovation, they held a moment of silence for those Chicago victims. There's a moment of silence that has some meaning, since it followed real action.
Too bad the AMA doesn't have as much sway in Congress as the NRA.