On April 3, hundreds of Canadian doctors raise a voice against gun violence and ask Canada to take practical steps to curb the rising trend of firearm violence.

When epidemics such as SARS or the H1N1 flu tear through communities, public health officials work feverishly to contain them. When two Boeing 737 Max 8's crash within a span of five months, governments ground the planes within a matter of days. Yet, when it comes to firearm violence, some believe it is not acceptable to talk about how such tragedies can be curtailed. There is no doubt that it requires a person to pull the trigger on a gun - but evidence shows that limiting the accessibility of guns is among the most effective and common-sense actions that will curb firearm injury.

In 2017, firearm related violence in Canada reached a 25-year high: 266 people were killed with guns, and over 7,660 incidents of violent crime involving a firearm were recorded. Canada ranks fifth among 23 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in rates of firearm mortality.

Today, hundreds of Canadian doctors will gear up for a nationwide day of action. The objective of this event, as described by its organizers, Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns (CDPG), is to call for stronger gun control laws, including a ban on handguns and assault weapons.

In many ways, the message being raised by the CDPG is representative of how all doctors and trainees feel. Canadian doctors can be conservative or liberal and they can be divided between Tim Hortons and Starbucks, but on the issue of firearms - as on the issues of vaccines, road safety, and smoking - they are generally united. That is because the horrific reality of gun violence and the senseless loss of life is most visible to them. It is the trauma and intensive care teams who try to relentlessly revive a patient with devastating bullet wounds, while their terror-stricken next of kin are confined to a waiting room, weeping, praying, and beginning to realize that their lives have changed forever.

Expert voices like that of the CDPG do not go unopposed. In the U.S., it was the National Rifle Association that told doctors to "stay in your lane." The move backfired, evoking resounding responses of #ThisIsOurLane from doctors around the globe. Canada is certainly not immune to the kind of misleading political rhetoric that occurs in the U.S. There are groups like the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR), TheGunBlog and the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, which promote politically-charged and misleading agendas. The CCFR shamelessly encouraged their members to submit misconduct complaints against individual physicians behind the CDPG, like co-chair and St. Michael's Hospital trauma surgeon Dr. Najma Ahmed. The complaints were collectively dismissed.

Research from the Harvard Injury Control Research Center found that there's substantial evidence that indicates more guns means more murders, and stricter gun laws mean fewer firearm homicides. Consider the United Kingdom, where almost all assault weapons, including handguns, are banned by legislation. Not only does the U.K. have one of the lowest gun homicide rates, it also has among the lowest total annual homicide rates in the world: 1.2 per 100,000 people as compared to 1.68 in Canada and 5.35 in the U.S.

Six years after the gut-wrenching Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the U.S. still dwells in thoughts and prayers. Meanwhile, within one week of the two mosque shootings in New Zealand, assault rifles and military-style semi-automatics were banned.

Many global leaders spoke up in support of New Zealand's inspiring leadership and response to the attacks. Notably, the Islamic Caliph, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said, "The most excellent and moral way New Zealand's government, and particularly its Prime Minister, has responded to this attack has been exemplary and is most praiseworthy." His Holiness leads tens of millions of Ahmadi Muslims worldwide.

Historically, Canada has been proactive in putting human rights, well-being, and the safety of its citizens first. It must not take another tragedy like the Danforth or New Zealand shootings to trigger action. On April 3, Canadians - leaders and everyday citizens - should align with the experts by supporting stronger gun laws and investments in research related to firearm injury.

Anser Daud is a medical student at the University of Toronto. He enjoys writing about health advocacy and human rights issues. You can follow him on Twitter at @anserdaud