Article content continued

Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns believes gun violence is a public health issue, much like smoking or road safety.

Gun groups complain that enacting such policies will fail to decrease gun violence. The CDPG counters that a substantial body of international public health literature supports its view that stricter gun control help reduce homicide and suicide rates.

The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights says that the CDPG is involved in “radical political activism.” The coalition claims it is “unethical for these lobby doctors to be using their medical credentials to try to influence legislation that there is no evidence would have the impact they promise it will.” The executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights took to YouTube to warn that adopting the CDPG’s positions could lead to SWAT teams busting down gun owners’ doors and accidentally shooting teenagers.

This overheated response is surprising since medical professionals have a long history of expressing expert opinion on how the availability of firearms and guns laws affect public health. Several medical organizations supported the 1995 Firearms Act, including the Canadian Public Health Association, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians and the Quebec Medical Association.

The Canadian Pediatric Society, Canadian Association for Adolescent Health and the Association pour la santé publique du Québec intervened in the 1999 Supreme Court of Canada case in support of the constitutionality of Firearms Act. The Canadian Pediatric Society and the Canadian Association for Adolescent Health said the act’s provisions were “rationally linked to the protection of public health and safety.” And, in 2010, many health organizations opposed the destruction of the long gun registry.