Dear Dr. Corlin,
You probably don't remember me, but we met when I attended the California Medical Society lobbying session during my year as Alaska State Medical Society president, a dozen, or so, years ago.
I am a former competitive shooter and gun collector --- a gun nut, if you will. I am also a life member of the NRA (since 1947).
At the beginning of my tour as ASMA president, I reviewed the AMA policy on gun control. It was clear that the authors of those policy items knew nothing of gun issues, but were interested only in maximum restriction of citizen liberties. I decided to try to modify these policies by pointing out the "junk science" characteristics, and pointed out that physicians would not tolerate this sort of thing if it pertained to genuine medical topics. Further, I opined that physicians should not be so arrogant as to assume that an MD degree conferred expertise on all other issues. I was hooted off the floor of the reference committee with comments such as "guns are evil" and "the end justifies the means." The president of the AMA shrugged off my complaint regarding this philosophy by reminding me that the AMA is a democratic organization and all it takes to make policy is a vote of the delegates.
The JAMA and NEJM are famous for promoting irrational gun control policies. A letter to the editor of NEJM a few years ago pointing out the statistical errors in a gun control article draw a "harrumph" response with the observation that in a non-medical matter, good statistics don't matter.
I read your inaugural address and pondered writing to you then, but procrastinated. Your article in Heartbeat prompts this one.
The reason for my comments simply is that I don't trust you. You may recall that the CDC's efforts at gun control were defunded because of junk science. I disagree that "gun violence" is a public health problem.* The problem is with violent people, not the instrument they choose. As a former Alaska State Medical Examiner, I have seen virtually any handy object used as a weapon --- scissors, screwdrivers, axes, machetes, knives of all kinds, splitting mauls, rocks, etc. I can't imagine a conclusion your committee could propose that would reduce violence short of gun confiscation --- which doesn't work either --- please review the experience in Australia and England since those countries confiscated their citizens' guns.
I resigned from the AMA after my tour as ASMA president because of these concerns. I now donate the equivalent of AMA dues to the NRA. I will attend the ASMA meeting at the Alyeska Prince Hotel and look forward to re-meeting you. Thank you for allowing me to vent.
Best regards,
Donald R. Rogers, MD
Anchorage, AK
