Should Gun Violence Be Treated As A Public Health Issue?

07:56

January 07, 2013

In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 file photo, a customer checks out a shotgun at Burdett & Son Outdoor Adventure Shop in College Station, Texas. (Pat Sullivan/AP)

In the U.S., guns kill more than 30,000 people every year. That's 85 people a day killed in homicides, suicides and gun-related accidents. Think about those numbers in the wake of the tragic shootings in Newtown, Conn., that killed 26 people. Tragic as it was, 26 dead represent fewer gun deaths than the daily U.S. average.

As we know, Newtown has sparked a new debate about gun control, but some say it's time to approach guns as a public health issue — like smoking or automobile safety.

Guest:

Dariush Mozaffarian, epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of the JAMA piece, "Curbing Gun Violence: Lessons From Public Health Successes"

More:

Approaching Gun Violence As A Public Health Problem
Expert: Treat Violence As A Public Health Issue
Watch the webcast: Gun Violence: A Public Health Crisis (Tuesday, Jan. 8, 12:30-1:30 p.m.)

This segment aired on January 7, 2013.

policy