(CNN) — A wave of hate-filled gun violence has swept the United States in the past few days, and now a physicians’ group is releasing new recommendations to reduce firearm injuries and deaths nationwide.
On Saturday morning, a man sprayed bullets into a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people who were attending services[1], law enforcement said. Federal prosecutors have filed hate crime charges[2] against a suspect.
Another man is accused of shooting and killing two African-Americans on Wednesday at a grocery store in Kentucky in what is being investigated as a hate crime[3]. The incident came moments after he tried to enter a predominantly black church[4] nearby, police said.
Both of those shootings occurred within a 72-hour[5] period.
On Monday, the American College of Physicians released new recommendations on how doctors can play a role in reducing gun violence across the country. The recommendations, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine[6] on Monday, had been planned for release before the recent wave of violence.
Those recommendations urge doctors to more regularly ask whether patients have guns in their home and to counsel patients on gun safety.
The recent shootings emphasize “how important and poignant it is for there to be policies that can be really effective in keeping guns away from both those who are either a risk to themselves or to others,” said Dr. Ana María López, president of the American College of Physicians[7].
“Firearm-related injuries and deaths really continue to be a part of what is harmful to patients and families,” she said. “Gun violence remains an issue in our country, unfortunately, and if this paper can help move hearts and minds to action to prevent these tragedies from happening, that would
