American College of Physicians President on Gun Violence: This Is Our Lane
*By Max Godnick*
This is our lane.
That was the rallying cry from doctors that sounded across the United States after the NRA appeared to mock a position paper from the American College of Physicians earlier this month. Following an October report on ["Reducing Firearm Injuries and Death in the United States"](http://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/2709820/reducing-firearm-injuries-deaths-united-states-position-paper-from-american), the advocacy group found itself on the receiving end of an [NRA tweet](https://t.co/oCR3uiLtS7) instructing doctors to "stay in their lane" on the national gun-control debate.
"Our lane is taking care of people, our lane is saving lives, and our lane is really public health and taking a look at these questions from a scientific perspective," Dr. Ana Maria Lopez, president of the ACP, said Monday in an interview on Cheddar.
The NRA's barb inspired hundreds of doctors and nurses to share photos on social media depicting [first-hand accounts](https://www.npr.org/2018/11/11/666762890/after-nra-mocks-doctors-physicians-reply-this-is-our-lane) of how gun violence affects their lives every day. The graphic imagery includes pictures of blood-stained operating rooms and other visuals of the aftermath of shootings around the country. In most cases, the images are paired with either #ThisIsOurLane or similarly biting responses to the NRA's initial message.
"These are folks who, on a daily basis, are saving lives and are experiencing this," Dr. Lopez said, adding that she was "very surprised" that the back and forth has taken on a life of its own online.
According to Lopez, last week's tragedy at a country-music bar in Thousand Oaks, California, was the 307th mass shooting of 2018.
"There have not been 307 days \[in the year\]," she added, pointing out that the NRA's tweet was posted just hours before the shooting that left 12 people dead.
The position paper in question assesses the rise in firearm-related injuries as a "public health crisis" requiring the nation's "immediate attention."
"We're very concerned that this is a public-health epidemic," Dr. Lopez said. "It's very important for the dialogue that we be able to work together to save lives."
Now, the ACP's priority remains securing the necessary funding to properly research and understand "the best approaches to help address this escalating violence," Dr. Lopez said. But, with conservatives still controlling the White House and Senate, she said the medical community's hands are "somewhat tied" moving forward.
But the social campaign highlighted how passionately many doctors feel about the issue ー and how personally they are affected by gun deaths.
"There is hardly anyone in the country who is not in some way connected to someone who has been touched by this personally," Dr. Lopez said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-president-of-the-american-college-of-physicians-to-the-nra-this-is-our-lane).
Sophia Bush has a lot going on these days. She plays the title role in a new CBS medical drama, "Good Sam," which premieres onJanuary 5. She and former "One Tree Hill" co-stars Hilarie Burton-Morgan and Bethany Joy Lenz do a weekly podcast called "Drama Queens." Plus, she is working with Lenovo on a conservation initiative called Work for Humankind on Robinson Crusoe Island, off the coast of Chile. "I feel like I've been trying to convince big brands to do work like this forever, and Lenovo said, 'We're in!' And now this incredible conservation group and a local community will be supported by people who believe in purposeful travel, purposeful work," she told Cheddar.
2021 has been a year filled with extreme weather conditions. Hundreds of thousands of people recently saw the effects of massive tornados that swept across six states. Now, experts say climate change could have played a major role. Jennifer Marlon, research scientist and lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Integrity Marketing Group, nation's largest independent distributor of life and health insurance products, is showing its employees it cares. The company surprised its 5,500 employees with $125 million in cash payouts to those participating in the company's Employee Ownership Plan. Bryan Adams, CEO of at Integrity Marketing Group, and Steve Young, NFL Hall of Famer and chairman of the board at Integrity Marketing Group, join Cheddar News to talk about the announcement.
Anthony Tall, sports agent and president of Miracle Sports Agency, joins Cheddar News to talk about the challenges professional sports leagues are facing amid a surge in coronavirus cases across the U.S.
Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest, joins Cheddar News to discuss food insecurity. She also offers tips on how people can volunteer at their local food bank this holiday season.
Todd Kaplan, Pepsi's Vice President of Marketing, joins Cheddar News to discuss the company's first-ever non-fungible token with its Pepsi Mic Drop genesis NFT collection.
This year, consumers might not be as surprised by what's under their trees as by the trees themselves. Despite a tighter market for trees, Stew Leonard's was able to secure its entire stock of Christmas trees from a supplier in Quebec. But some prices jumped this year as a result of increased costs for shipping and labor amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Cheddar's Chloe Aiello reports.
Dr. Travis Langley, Professor of Psychology at Henderson State University, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss why the Joker is widely considered the best villain of all time and a prevailing figure in pop culture and provides insight into the psychological and cultural reasons we find him so fascinating.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Dr. Travis Langley, Professor of Psychology, Henderson State University, discusses why the Joker is widely considered the best villain of all time and a prevailing figure in pop culture and provides insight into psychological and cultural reasons we find him so fascinating; Jonathan Gayles Professor and Chair, Department of Africana Studies at Georgia State University, dissects the diversity efforts in representations of superheroes and villains in comics and Hollywood films; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'My Comic Shop Country.'
Jonathan Gayles Professor and Chair, Department of Africana Studies at Georgia State University, joins Cheddar Reveals to dissect the diversity efforts in representations of superheroes and villains in comics and Hollywood films.
