Three days after a gunman opened fire inside a Pittsburgh-area synagogue, killing 11 people on Oct. 27, the American College of Physicians published a paper in the Annals of Internal Medicine advocating for the necessity of addressing gun violence as a public health crisis.

Among many conclusions, the group recommended, “Physicians are encouraged to discuss with their patients the risks that may be associated with having a firearm in the home and recommend ways to mitigate such risks, including best practices to reduce injuries and deaths.”

The group’s statement received relatively little attention until the National Rifle Association argued on Twitter more than a week later that doctors should “stay in their lane.”

Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Half of the articles in Annals of Internal Medicine are pushing for gun control. Most upsetting, however, the medical community seems to have consulted NO ONE but themselves. https://t.co/oCR3uiLtS7 — NRA (@NRA) November 7, 2018

The timing was noteworthy. The NRA tweet was posted hours before another gunman killed 12 people inside a California nightclub.

On social media, the backlash was immediate as physicians around the country rallied for gun reform, using the hashtag #ThisIsMyLane. Many doctors posted about their own direct experiences with patients who were victims of gun violence and how the topic has always been within the confines of “their lane.”

For Dr. Annie Lintzenich Andrews, a pediatrician at the Medical University of South Carolina, the issue isn't about being pro- or anti-gun, but being pro-health.

“That’s how we naturally fit into this discussion,” said Andrews. “And for us, it is absolutely not political.”

Earlier this year, Andrews helped establish the Charleston chapter of the gun safety campaign "Be Smart for Kids." The goal of the group is to emphasize safety and prevention.

“As a pediatrician, it’s something that’s very important for me to talk to my patients about preventing unintentional gun injuries in children,” she said. “So safe gun storage is what we’re focusing on.”

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According to Everytown for Gun Safety, there have been at least 176 unintentional shootings by children in America in 2018, with at least seven of those being in South Carolina. In 2017, there were almost 300 nationally with at least 16 of those being in South Carolina.

Andrews constantly advises parents about safe practices when it comes to car seat usage, bike helmets and water safety. Guns are no different, she said.

“Part of our training is about advocacy and that’s a really natural role for a pediatrician to take,” she said.

Not everyone agrees with her. A group of conservative South Carolina lawmakers tried to advance a bill a few years ago that would have restricted doctors in this state from speaking to patients about gun usage. The proposal did not become law.

Meanwhile, other doctors in the area are speaking directly to patients about gun violence. Dr. Jeanne Lumpkin, a family medicine physician with Roper St. Francis, said firearms are treated like any other public health issue.

Roper St. Francis doctors conduct yearly depression screenings for all patients, part of which include a question about firearms. If a patient ranks high on depression and suicidal thoughts, the doctors try to make sure that they have access to mental health resources and gun storage safety information.

The goal is to prevent any potential injuries from happening.

"I just think firearm accidents have become a more present health concern in our community," Lumpkin said.

A spokesman for the S.C. Medical Association, a group that represents doctors in this state, did not return messages for this article. The national American Medical Association has previously advocated for policies to prevent gun violence, including removing firearms from high-risk individuals and advocating for schools as gun-free zones.

Andrews emphasized that MUSC's role isn't to advocate for any specific legislation but to conduct research and educate patients.

“ER doctors and surgeons see it first-hand every day," she said. "We need to take a public health approach to the crisis of gun violence and to do that we need research to understand the problem and how to prevent the morbidity and mortality associated with gun violence."