Cronkite Arizona school of
journalism.
Amna: As we reported earlier,
another devastating weekend of
mass shootings as lawmakers in
congress and states consider new
gun safety regulations.
John yang has more.
John: The trail of gun carnage
since Friday night stretches
across at least 10 states,
according to the gun violence
archive, Michigan, Tennessee,
Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, Texas, Georgia,
Nebraska and Virginia.
The toll, at least 17 people
dead and more than 50 injured.
In Philadelphia, a brawl on a
crowded street Saturday night
turned into a gun fight, leaving
three people dead and 12 more
hurt.
Larry Krasner is the
Philadelphia district attorney.
>> I went to the scene myself
the morning after the shooting
to see what was there, and it
was chilling.
No less chilling that it
happened in more than 10 places
around the country.
John: Many health care providers
say gun violence is a public
health issue.
After the NRA said physicians
should stay in their lane,
dozens responded with stories
about treating gun shot victims
with the hashtag this is our
lane.
One of them is Dr. Joseph
sakran, a trauma surgeon at
Johns Hopkins hospital in
Baltimore and himself a survivor
of a life-threatening gunshot
wound.
Thank you so much for being with
us.
So much attention comes to gun
violence after horrific events
like Buffalo and uvalde.
Talk to us about the routine
results of gun violence you see
in your emergency room.
Joseph: Thanks for having me.
You are absolutely correct.
We often in America talk about
gun violence as it relates to
these and to get significant
media and public attention.
The reality is, mass shootings
comprise less than 2% of the
overall public health problem
and every day in cities like
Baltimore where I work, we have
high school students, pregnant
moms, being slaughtered on our
streets.
We frankly have both the
opportunity and responsibility
to make sure those stories are
told because that is what we are
seeing across this country.
John: You are a physician, you
treat gunshot the M's, you
yourself were shot at 17 years
old at a high school football
game.
What do you see as a physician,
in your daily life as a survivor
, about the surviving victims of
gunshot wounds, their daily
lives, their experiences, that
get lost in coverage?
Joseph: That is so important.
I come into this conversation as
a survivor and a surgeon.
We often talk about the physical
injuries, but there is also the
mental and emotional trauma that
takes place.
You can imagine what a child
must think when they are in a
classroom and watch their
friends killed in front of them.
It is horrific.
We have an opportunity to change
that.
John: Is there an extent to
which there is re-traumatization
when it fills the headlines?
Joseph: Absolutely.
Every time this happens in not
only dramatizes the community,
but it is re-traumatizing the
entire country.
Look at what children in schools
all across America are going
75% of them are worried the mass
shooting will happen in their
own school versus trying to
focus on education.
I think there is truth to this
re-traumatization.
For too long we have sanitized
this conversation around gun
violence in America and
shootings.
It is time to pull back the
curtains and allow the American
people to understand the
tragedies witnessed.
John: That was one of your goals
of the hashtag this is our lane
effort.
Can you talk about your goals
and intentions?
Joseph: When health care
professionals came out after the
NRA told us we do not belong
coming up with a solution across
this complex public health
problem, we were incensed
because we are taking care of
the patients and having to talk
to these families of loved ones.
For anyone to understand the
complexity, they have to realize
no one person or organization
can solve it on their own.
John: You began this effort four
years ago and not much has
changed.
These incidents keep happening.
Is that frustrating to you, does
that anger you?
Are you numb to that?
Joseph: I have been working
around gun prevention for longer
than four years.
If you look at what has happened
in the past decade, it is
frustrating we have not seen
change at the federal level, but
let's not be mistaken.
The country is not the same as
it was 10 years ago.
If you look, hundreds of pieces
of gun legislation have been
passed across the country.
The problem is, we live in a
nation with open borders.
Is it happening quick enough?
Not enough.
Every day we have children and
others being killed because of
gun related injuries.
We must do better.
John: Dr. Joseph sakran, thank
you very much.
Joseph: Thanks for having me.