“Just as physicians worked to safeguard public health by promoting smoking bans in public places, we should draw on similar motivations and strategies to promote sensible, evidence-based laws to decrease the harms associated with gun violence.
It is our responsibility to do so.”
~ Christine Laine, MD, Editor in Chief and Deputy Editors of Annals of Internal Medicine
Mission Statement
Doctors 4 Gun Safety is committed to the premise that gun violence represents a public health crisis in the United States. As physicians we serve as advocates for the nation’s health. We are in a unique position to both identify and treat those at high risk for, or victimized by, violence.
Our goal is to use education, research and advocacy as methods to achieve safe and responsible gun ownership and use.
We are interested in forming an evidenced-based policy related to gun ownership. We recognize that gun violence is a multifactorial problem and we welcome the knowledge of law enforcement and experienced and responsible gun owners.
The prevention of unnecessary suffering, morbidity and mortality related to inappropriate gun access is a core value of our organization.
We recognize the need for the medical profession to be a part of the dialogue centered on protecting ourselves, our children, our patients and our fellow citizens.
Specific areas of concern and focus include:
Who We Are
We are a grassroots organization of doctors who believe that gun violence in the U.S. is a public health crisis.
We are not affiliated with any political party.
As physicians, we feel obligated not only to participate in the treatment of individuals but to assume a leadership role in the resolution of the gun violence epidemic.
Board of Directors
Ruth Waldbaum M.D.
- President, Doctors 4 Gun Safety
- Diplomat, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- Diplomat, American Board of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
- Past President, Greater Long Island Psychiatric Society (GLIPS)
- GLIPS Task Force for Gun Violence
- Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Karyl Cole M.D.
- Secretary, Doctors 4 Gun Safety
- Diplomat, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- Board Member, Greater Long Island Psychiatric Association
- Chairman of Voluntary Physicians Council, Zucker Hillside Hospital
Victor Fornari M.D.
- Director, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cohen Children’s Medical Center and The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell
- Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
- Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Diplomat, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- Diplomat, American Board of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Risa Gold M.D.
- Diplomat, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- Diplomat, American Board of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Distinguished Life Fellow, APA
- Past President, Greater Long Island Psychiatric Society (GLIPS)
- GLIPS Task Force for Gun Violence
- President, Miracle of Help: A women’s health charity in Sierra Leone
Jeffrey Oestreicher M.D.
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/NorthwelI
- Pediatric Trauma Center Physician, Cohen Children’s Medical Center
- Co-Chair of The American Academy of Pediatrics Gun Violence Prevention Initiative in New York State
- Diplomat, American Board of Pediatrics
Deborah Weisbrot M.D.
- Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Renaissance School of Medicine Stony Brook University
- Distinguished Fellow (AACAP)
- Diplomat, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- Diplomat, American Board of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Past Assembly Representative, New York State Psychiatric Association
What You Can Do Now
We hope you will find the following articles of interest.
From: The New York Times – November 17, 2020
‘How Did We Not Know?’ Gun Owners Confront a Suicide Epidemic
“The toll of self-inflicted gun deaths has led to an unusual alliance between suicide-prevention advocates and gun-rights proponents.”
CLICK HERE for Full Article
FROM: Reuters Health Information – April 19, 2019
Many Older U.S. Gun Owners Don’t Store Firearms Safely
“Roughly one-third of older people in the U.S. may live in households with guns and a new study suggests that many of those firearms are not stored in the safest way: locked and unloaded.”
CLICK HERE for Full Article
FROM: The New Yorker – April 17, 2019
Secrecy, Self-Dealing, and Greed at the N.R.A.
“Even as the association has reduced spending on its avowed core mission—gun education, safety, and training—to less than ten per cent of its total budget, it has substantially increased its spending on messaging.”
CLICK HERE for Full Article
FROM: New York Times – Apr 17, 2019
After Years of Poor Funding, Gun Research Is Suddenly Hot
“In Washington, research funding on this divisive topic remains anemic. A recent analysis found that gun research receives substantially less funding from the federal government than research for other major causes of death — only 1.6 percent of the funding the researchers would have predicted based on spending on comparable health problems.”
CLICK HERE for Full Article
FROM: New York Times – Apr 19, 2019
Why Gabby Giffords Is Starting a Gun Control Group for Gun Owners
“Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who nearly died after being shot in the head eight years ago, argues gun ownership can coexist with stricter gun laws.”
CLICK HERE for Full Article
S. 66: Assault Weapons Ban of 2019
CLICK HERE for Congressional Library Summary
This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD).
The New York SAFE Act
CLICK HERE for New York State Summary
“The SAFE Act stops criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from buying a gun by requiring universal background checks on gun purchases, increases penalties for people who use illegal guns, mandates life in prison without parole for anyone who murders a first responder, and imposes the toughest assault weapons ban in the country. For hunters, sportsmen, and law-abiding gun owners, this new law preserves and protects your right to buy, sell, keep or use your guns.” – Governor Andrew Cuomo
Within the Act, MHL 9.46 requires mental health professionals (physicians (including psychiatrists), psychologists, registered nurses, or licensed clinical social workers) to report to their local director of community services (“DCS”) or his/her designees when, in their reasonable professional judgment, one of their patients is “likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to self or others.” For more information, please visit https://safeact.ny.gov/mental-health-faq.
https://ballotpedia.org/Who_represents_me
“The vast majority of Americans have never contacted their elected officials about anything. Americans are comfortable leaving comments on social media, calling in to talk radio shows, signing petitions and even writing letters to the editor of their local paper, but they rarely pick up the phone and call their own representatives. That’s why these calls have such an impact. It’s not because callers are especially articulate, knowledgeable or important; it’s because the offices fielding the calls know that every caller represents a huge number of like-minded constituents who were personally reluctant to make direct contact.” – National Physicians Alliance – To read more, visit: NPAlliance.org
Federal and state elections in the United States are run by the states themselves, according to Article I and Article II of the Constitution. No two states run their elections exactly the same, so contacting your state or local election office is the best way to find out about your state’s unique election rules.
Keep abreast of the issues and your local candidates prior to voting. The League of Women Voters of New York State hosts local Meet the Candidate Nights in communities across the state. For a full calendar of their events, visit https://my.lwv.org/new-york-state/2018-candidate-debates-calendar
Take Action Workshop – How to Choose a Candidate
Prior to the Huntington, NY Meet the Candidates Night, the League of Women Voters of Huntington will conduct a Take Action Workshop from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and also prior to the event at Harborfields Public Library. Learn from the League how to weigh campaign news and research information to decide which candidate will best represent you on the issues that are important to you. Consistent with the League’s nonpartisan policy, no aspect of the training will support or oppose a candidate for office or a political party. Seating is limited but registration is open to everyone.
For more information about the Meet the Candidates Night or to register for the Take Action Workshop, please contact Colette Knuth, President, League of Women Voters of Huntington at LWVHuntingtonNY@gmail.com
Wednesday, October 10
- 7:00pm – LWV Huntington: Meet the Candidates – NY STATE
- 7:00pm – LWV Nassau Candidate Forum: General Election NY Assembly and Senate
Thursday, October 11
- 7:00pm – LWV East Nassau: Meet the Candidates for NY Senate and Assembly
Monday, October 15
- 7:00pm – LWV/American Association Pediatrics Children’s Policy Candidate Forum Senate District 5
Thursday, October 18
- 6:30pm – Putnam County Meet the Candidates – General Election
- 7:00pm – LWV Port Washington-Manhasset Candidate Forum
- 7:00pm – LWV Cazenovia: Candidate Forum State Senate 53 & Assembly 121
- 7:00pm – LWV Saratoga – Meet the Candidates Congressional District 18
Monday, October 22
- 6:30pm – Putnam County Meet the Candidates – General Election
- 7:00pm – LWV East Nassau: Candidates Night for Congressional District 2
- 7:00pm – LWV Huntington: Meet the Candidates Huntington Township
- 7:00pm – LWV Long Beach: Candidate Forum for Assembly District 20 and Senate District 9
Tuesday, October 23
- 7:00pm – LWV Schenectady – Candidates Night for County Clerk and Village Seats
- 7:00pm – LWV White Plains: Candidate Forums Assembly District 93
- 7:00pm – Chautauqua County Meet the Candidates – Assembly and County Sheriff
- 7:00pm – LWV Nassau Candidate Forum: General Election Candidates for Assembly and Senate
Wednesday, October 24
- 7:00pm – LWV/Huntington Meet the Candidates Night – State and Local General Election
Thursday, October 25
- 7:00pm – LWV/Huntington: Meet the Candidates US Congressional
Sunday, October 28
- 2:00pm – LWV Rockland County: Candidate Debates 38th Senate District, 97 and 98 Assembly Districts
Monday, October 29
- 7:00pm – LWV Schenectady & Saratoga – Candidates Night NY Senate District 49
Tuesday, October 30
- 7:00pm – LWV of Capital Region – Candidate Night for Congressional District 20
- 7:00pm – Chautauqua Meet the Candidates Nights – Assembly and County Sheriff
Thursday, November 1
- 8:00pm – LWV Broome Tioga – Candidate Debate Congressional District 22
Donate
A donation to Doctors 4 Gun Safety supports our education and advocacy efforts in support of gun safety and responsible gun ownership. We ask that all Members and Friends of Doctors 4 Gun Safety support our efforts with an Annual Donation of $25 or more to help us offset communication and organization costs.
Doctors 4 Gun Safety is a not-for-profit corporation registered in the State of New York as well as a 501(c)3 public charity approved by the IRS (Tax ID: 83-3595752). Your contribution is tax-deductible as described on your receipt and to the extent allowed by law.
You can donate here with PayPal, Visa or MasterCard…
JOIN AS A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
We welcome any physician, physician-in-training, or healthcare professional in the U.S. who shares our beliefs and wishes to help us work toward gun safety and responsible gun ownership.
JOIN AS A FRIEND
Not a medical professional? We absolutely welcome your support!
Join us here, and we’ll keep you posted on all our news and updates.