Statement attributable to:
Omar T. Atiq, MD, FACP
President, ACP
WASHINGTON May 4, 2023 – The American College of Physicians (ACP) is dismayed by the shooting that took place yesterday in a medical building in Atlanta that took the life of one individual and injured 4 others. Yesterday’s incident was particularly heart-rending because it happened in what should be a place of healing. As ACP has noted in repeated reactions to shooting incidents, in the practice of medicine physicians all too regularly come face-to-face with the tragedy that gun violence brings. Our patients, my fellow physicians, and our other colleagues in medical facilities deserve to feel safe when seeking medical care or performing their jobs. We cannot continue to live in a country where people must give special consideration to whether or not it’s safe to go about their everyday lives.
This shooting points, once again, to the glaring lack of firearm policy in the United States. While we have recently begun to make some progress in enacting policies to prevent firearms-related injuries and deaths, much more needs to be done. Until that happens the safety of our patients, our families and our communities are all under threat. That is why ACP has called for common sense policies to tackle the public health crisis of firearms-related deaths and injuries for nearly 30 years. ACP also recently launched a new initiative to help internal medicine physicians address firearm safety with their patients. As a trusted source of information for our patients, we can help them know how to protect themselves and their loved ones. We call on those who share our commitment to preventing avoidable deaths and injuries from firearms to come together to take action and help prevent future tragedies.
***
About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 160,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.