ORLANDO, Fla. — The American Medical Association (AMA) on Tuesday endorsed recommendations made by other leading groups of health care professionals to reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths.

At its Interim meeting, the AMA backed the proposals, which track existing AMA policies intended to reduce the public health consequences of firearms. The specific recommendations – originally made by seven health groups and one legal group in 2015 – include  universal background checks of gun purchasers, elimination of physician “gag laws,” restrictions on the manufacture and sale of military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use, and research to support strategies for reducing firearm-related injuries and deaths. The health professional organizations also advocate for improved access to mental health services.

“Improper use of firearms has created a public health crisis,” said Dr. Barbara L. McAneny, the former chair of the AMA Board of Trustees. “Only by collaborating with others in a multidisciplinary approach can we reduce firearm-related injuries and death.”

The recommendations originally appeared in the publication, “Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States: A Call to Action from 8 Health Professional Organizations and the American Bar Association.”

The groups responsible for making the recommendations last year were: the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons, and American Psychiatric Association, and the American Public Health Association. The American Bar Association, acting through its

Standing Committee on Gun Violence, confirms that none of these recommendations conflict with the Second Amendment or previous rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Each year, nearly 34,000 people die as a result of firearm-related violence, suicides and accidents in the United States.