AAFP, ACP, AAP, AMA, others renew call for Congress to lift ban on gun research

In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, in which 49 people were killed and 53 wounded early Sunday after a gunman opened fire in an Orlando gay nightclub, many medical professional organizations have issued multiple statements not only expressing condolences for victims and their families, but also calling on Congress to lift its 20-year ban on the CDC conducting research into gun violence.In a joint statement, leaders from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Physicians (ACP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) said Sunday’s attacks “highlight gun violence as a grim and increasing public health epidemic that kills approximately 91 Americans every day.”