WASHINGTON, D.C.— The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) commends the House and Senate for swiftly passing the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” to help address the public health issue of firearms violence. We are especially grateful for the leadership of Sens. Murphy, Cornyn, and the bipartisan Senate workgroup for developing a reasonable commonsense compromise on firearm injury prevention legislation.

“Every day, emergency physicians shoulder the honor of being on the front lines while bearing the responsibility of treating the victims of firearms violence. We bear witness to this public health crisis and see firsthand how deeply it affects the lives of our patients, their families, and the communities we serve,” said Gillian Schmitz, MD, FACEP, president of ACEP.

“We thank Congress for taking these concrete steps to improve the safety and well-being of all Americans, including our children and victims of domestic abuse.

“We recognize there is no cure-all that will prevent all firearms violence and that we still have much work to do, but this is a critical first step that, above all, will save lives,” said Dr. Schmitz.