The following statement is attributable to:
Bruce A. Scott, M.D.
President, American Medical Association
“The statistics on intimate partner violence are staggering, and making firearms more accessible to individuals under a domestic violence restraining order would certainly have resulted in more death and injury. As physicians who treat the victims and survivors of firearm violence every day, today’s ruling is a victory. It’s a win for our patients, our communities, and for commonsense laws. The AMA declared firearm violence a public health crisis in 2016, and still, somewhere in our country, a woman is shot and killed by a current or former intimate partner every 16 hours. We must do more to stem the tide of firearm violence that touches our homes, workplaces, schools, malls, houses of worship, hospitals, and shatters lives. Today’s ruling brings a sigh of relief that this critical protection remains intact.”
The AMA filed an amicus brief (PDF) in the case of U.S. v. Rahimi. Then-AMA President Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., M.P.H., wrote an AMA Viewpoint on the case and firearm violence.
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
