WASHINGTON, D.C.—In response to the high school mass shooting yesterday in Parkland, Florida, Dr. Paul Kivela, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) issued the following statement:  

“On behalf of the nation’s emergency physicians, I want to express our heartfelt sympathy to the victims of yesterday’s horrific school shooting, and the families and friends of those who were killed and injured.  

“I am proud of my emergency physician colleagues in South Florida who sprang into action and implemented a mass casualty plan that opened up resources to care for those who were injured.

“In response to the increasing number of these violent incidents, ACEP, in 2016, created a High Threat Emergency Casualty Care Task Force dedicated to understanding, tracking and responding effectively to mass casualty incidents of this kind. 

“In accordance with its policies, ACEP continues to call for restrictions on the sale and ownership of weapons, munitions, and large-capacity magazines designed for military or law enforcement use. In addition, ACEP has called for increased access to mental health services, expanded background checks, adequate support and training for the disaster response system, as well as increased funding for firearm safety and injury prevention research.”