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Saturday, Aug 11, 2012 4:18 PM UTC

Is gun violence like a disease? Doctors think so

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Topics: From the Wires,

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mass shootings have rattled nerves and renewed calls for stricter gun laws. Doctors are thinking bigger. Gun violence is a social disease, they say, and it could be curbed with a public health approach like the product safety changes and driving laws that slashed traffic fatalities decades ago, even as cars on the road increased.

For example, guardrails are now curved to the ground instead of having sharp metal ends that stick out and pose a hazard in a crash. Health experts learned they had to change the environment — not just try to make people better drivers.

The same could be done with guns, some say.

SCIENCE-BASED PREVENTION

A public health approach involves analyzing what makes someone more likely to shoot, or someone more likely to be a victim. One study found firearm owners were more likely than those with no guns at home to binge drink or to drink and drive.

COULD GUNS BE SAFER?

Manufacturers could fix defects to make guns less likely to fire accidentally. Technology could be added so only the owner could fire the weapon (many police officers and others are shot with their own guns).

WHAT ABOUT NEW LAWS?

Controversial, to say the least. Some people want to reinstate the ban that used to exist on assault weapons. Others want to outlaw multiple magazines that allow guns to be fired rapidly and repeatedly. Loopholes could be closed so that felons could not buy guns through private sales (gun shops are barred from selling to them).

Marilynn Marchione

More Marilynn Marchione.

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

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