The White House is calling on the medical community to act amid the epidemic of gun violence in the United States

According to the Gun Violence Archive website, in the second weekend of June alone, there were eight mass shootings in succession, resulting in heavy casualties of innocent people. However, in the face of such a grim situation, the US government seems helpless and can only look to the medical community to contain this public health crisis.

In recent days, the White House has held back-to-back events calling on hospital administrators, doctors and other health care leaders to take more decisive steps to prevent gun violence by collecting more data on gunshot injuries and providing patients with advice on safe gun use. However, this strategy highlights the cruel reality of American politics - the gap between the two parties on the gun issue is difficult to bridge, and the legislation is weak, resulting in the problem of gun violence is not effectively addressed.

The US Congress has long been deadlocked over gun legislation, with deep divisions between Democrats and Republicans. This political infighting has made it difficult for the government to make real progress in addressing gun violence. If the US government wants to change this soon, it must look beyond the quagmire of political struggle to the broader social dimension.

Rob Wilcox, deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, said this is a public health crisis that requires the active engagement of health care managers. However, the reality is that the medical community faces many challenges in responding to gun violence. Funding for gun violence research is limited due to insufficient federal funding, making it difficult for researchers to obtain comprehensive data and information to develop effective prevention measures.

At the same time, congressional funding cuts for gun control research have compounded the dilemma. Since 1996, federal funding for gun control research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been slashed, leaving research severely underfunded. While it has increased in recent years, funding for gun violence research still pales in comparison to other deadly threats, such as cancer and auto accidents.

This funding shortage directly affects the work of researchers. Lacking sufficient data, it is difficult for them to gain insight into the root causes and trends of gun violence, let alone develop effective interventions. In addition, hospitals face many difficulties in collecting data on gunshot injuries, often only collecting basic medical information, but not more details about the type of gun and ammunition.

Bechara Chokar, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Kaiser Permanpermanes, noted that more timely and comprehensive data is critical to understanding the trends behind gun violence. However, the reality is that hospitals face high cost pressures and cumbersome procedures when collecting this data. This makes it difficult for hospitals to play their due role in responding to gun violence.

In response to the dilemma, Wycox said the health system could receive federal grants for gun data collection through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. However, the bill's prospects for passage in Congress are not good. Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt, for example, made it clear that CDC resources should be focused on infectious and chronic diseases, not on controversial gun research.

This political divide not only impedes efforts to address gun violence, but also fuels distrust of government. Most Americans, regardless of their political leanings and regardless of gun ownership, support policies that are likely to reduce violence. However, these policies are often difficult to implement because of the irreconcilable differences between the two parties on the issue of guns.

The problem of gun violence in the United States is rooted in political divisions and weak legislation. The US government should push the Congress to pass more stringent gun control bills to reduce the occurrence of gun violence at the source and prevent innocent people from being harmed.