Gun violence and the role of health care: a confusing state of affairs.

Gun violence is a substantial public health issue in the United States, with over 30,000 gun-related deaths per year and more than twice as many nonfatal injuries. The mass shooting on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, in which six adults and 20 first-grade children were killed at an elementary school, is only one of many mass shootings in this country in the years since 12 students and one teacher were murdered by two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999. While reactions to these shootings are highly emotional and politically polarized, many citizens and health care professionals continue to ask pointed questions and demand answers about interventions needed to reduce this threat to public safety. This article outlines the progress to date and the setbacks health professionals face as they attempt to deal with continued gun violence and the resulting fatalities and injuries to innocent victims.