What if Nikolas Cruz’ doctor had asked him about guns?

The data show that people who commit firearm violence often have well-recognized risk factors that bring them into contact with physicians. The editors of Annals of Internal Medicine say these encounters offer an opportunity for intervention and talking about guns is part of good preventive care. Recently, the editors urged physicians to sign a formal pledge committing to talking to their patients about firearms. So far, more than 1,000 physicians have taken the pledge.

Doctors who take the pledge make a public commitment to talk to their patients about firearms, counsel them on safe firearm behaviors, and take further action when an imminent hazard is present. Many doctors are frustrated because they think that they can’t make a difference, but the editors say they can.

“Even if just one firearm fatality or injury is prevented because a doctor talked to an at-risk patient, then I would consider the signature campaign effective,” said Christine Laine, MD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Annals’ signature campaign began in the wake of the Las Vegas mass shooting with a pointed commentary by Garen Wintemute, MD, MPH, from the Violence Prevention Program at UC Davis. The campaign gained considerable momentum after the Florida school shooting that prompted many to wonder what they could do to finally put an end to mass gun violence. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness and to remind doctors that they can play an active and meaningful role in addressing this major public health crisis.

According to Dr. Laine, some physicians may not feel knowledgeable enough about guns, gun laws, or the benefits and risks of gun ownership to initiate a dialog with their patients. As a service to physicians and the public, Annals has made all of its gun-related content available for free at http://annals.org/aim/pages/firearm-related-content.

Annals’ collection of gun-related content is considerable. In addition to publishing recommendations from The American College of Physicians (ACP) on how to reduce firearm injury, Annals has also published rigorous reviews to help synthesize what is and is not known about gun violence. Firearms have also been the subject of several commentaries and Annals On Being a Doctor physician essays.

Doctors who wish to take the pledge are urged to visit go.annals.org/commit-now where they can fill out the form and have their pledge posted. They are encouraged to invite their colleagues to do the same by sending them the URL directly or posting to social media.