treat gun violence as a human rights, health, and welfare issue.

Being subject to the threat of gun violence is a public health issue, much as communicable disease or preventable health threats like smoking. We can never hope to completely eradicate any of these threats. Nevertheless, the public relations campaign to stigmatize smoking has been effective in reducing the frequency of addiction. We petition the government to treat guns in the same category of preventable threats to health. As a starting point, we recommend a publicity campaign to highlight the dangers of the excessive numbers and easy availability of guns, and lambast the patently absurd position that still more guns would somehow make us safer.