Foreward

Firearms Injury Prevention, Emergency Medicine, and the Public’s Health: A Call for Unity of Purpose

Kraus, CK.

We enthusiastically present the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine (WestJEM) Special Issue on Firearms Injury Prevention. This project is the culmination of several years of discussions, deliberations, and evaluations of peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Critics might call an issue of WestJEM focused on firearms-related injury and death as politically motivated or skewed. This issue of WestJEM is not intended to litigate gun laws or regulations. It is not meant to further divide strongly held views on the topic with blanket proposals for or against legislative or regulatory approaches. While necessary, the spirited discussions of legislative and regulatory measures are beyond the scope of this special issue. On the contrary, we offer a collection of peer-reviewed research, editorials, and perspectives to engage emergency physicians in productive discussions toward practical solutions to reduce firearms-related morbidity and mortality. Papers in this issue provide regional and national perspectives on firearms-related injuries, thought-provoking perspectives on firearms, descriptions of injury patterns and characteristics, and injury prevention and risk reduction strategies such as safe storage. As the editors of this special issue, we hope these papers will move the discussion forward with evidence and expert consensus.

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Contact Information

WestJEM/ Department of Emergency Medicine
UC Irvine Health

3800 W Chapman Ave Ste 3200
Orange, CA 92868, USA
Phone: 1-714-456-6389
Email: editor@westjem.org

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WestJEM
ISSN: 1936-900X
e-ISSN: 1936-9018

CPC-EM
ISSN: 2474-252X

Our Philosophy

Emergency Medicine is a specialty which closely reflects societal challenges and consequences of public policy decisions. The emergency department specifically deals with social injustice, health and economic disparities, violence, substance abuse, and disaster preparedness and response. This journal focuses on how emergency care affects the health of the community and population, and conversely, how these societal challenges affect the composition of the patient population who seek care in the emergency department. The development of better systems to provide emergency care, including technology solutions, is critical to enhancing population health.