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By Allen Weiss, Citizen Contributor

Sadly, gun violence continues to be a plague in America. The statistics are shocking: 33,636 killed by firearms in 2013. That is an average of 88 deaths a day from homicides, suicides and unintentional gunshots.

The societal costs are a staggering $174 billion per year for medical and mental healthcare, criminal justice costs and wage losses, not to mention the intangibles — pain, suffering and damaged quality of life, according to a recent study by the Children's Safety Network. In 2010 there were 36,341 emergency department visits and 25,024 hospitalizations caused by gun violence which is the most recent information available.

Compared to other developed nations we are an outlier. The United States has an estimated 644 million civilian-owned guns even though the U.S. has only an estimated 320 million people which is 4.4 percent of the world's population, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. We have 29.6 gun homicides per million compared to 5.1 in Canada, 1.9 in Germany, and 1.4 in Australia, according to the United Nations Development Programs Human Development Index.

There were 336 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2014 in which four or more people were killed or injured. In 2013 there were 363 mass shootings.

There is a reasonable approach to reducing gun violence.

About the same number of Americans currently die in auto accidents. But the number of auto deaths was escalating rapidly years ago and would be much higher if many of the safety measures we now take for granted were not put in place. Today, we don't even think about buckling up, having air bags, placing small children in car seats with five-point restraints, or having appropriate bumpers and telescoping steering columns. Our highways are built for safety with collapsible bumper rails and other guards to lessen the impact of crashes.

The executive director of the American Public Health Association, Georges Benjamin, says, "We've been very successful bringing down death and disability from cars. We can do exactly the same things for firearms."

Easy access to guns and ammunition that can be used for mass slaughter has no place in civilian life. The proliferation of guns that are poorly designed, improperly cared for or serve no useful social or sporting purpose should be stopped. That's a point of view recently expressed by the editor of Modern Healthcare after the mass shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., Colorado Springs, Colo., Roseburg, Ore., Charleston, S.C., Watertown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., and Blacksburg, Virginia.

Eight professional groups — ranging from the American Academy of Family Physicians to the American Bar Association — have demanded more extensive firearm regulations as a first step toward reducing gun violence in our society. These organizations called for extending background checks on the purchase of firearms at gun shows and individual transfer, banning individual ownership of assault weapons and their high-volume ammunition magazines; and ending gag laws that prevent physicians from discussing gun safety with patients.

How can our nation move forward? By understanding gun-violence reduction rather than being emotionally polarized every time there is another mass shooting, tragic suicide, or child accidentally hurting themselves or a playmate with a firearm.

We can still respect individual rights and have a safer society. America has faced tougher challenges and been successful. Polarization won't cure the problem of gun violence problem. A rational and collaborative approach would help.

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Allen Weiss, MD, MBA, FACP, FACR, is the president and CEO of the NCH Healthcare System.