Interested in getting more involved in the movement to prevent firearm injuries and deaths? Apply for the @bradyunited.org Gun Violence Prevention Grassroots Academy!

The U.S. has always accepted more political violence than similar democracies. Threats to Congress have doubled since 2022. But we cannot stop at condemning political violence alone. Time and time again, there is one thing at the root of these horrific acts: our nation's easy access to firearms.

2 chicago officers shot in a Chicago ER. thinking about the officers, their families, law-enforcement, first responders, and all my EM colleagues in Chicago. We should be able to go to work and take care of our patients without the fear of being shot or hurt.

Cerina Wanzer Fairfax Nancy Metayer Tammy McCollum Qualeisha Barnes Barbara Deer Each of these women was shot and killed by an intimate partner or family member this month. Black women are 3x more likely than white women to be fatally shot by an intimate partner. Where is all the news reporting?

Social workers are on the front lines, working with communities most impacted by gun violence. With the widespread accessibility of firearms and their uniquely lethal consequences social workers can utilize assessment, intervention, and advocacy - and they need support!

Feeling alienated at school can push adolescent boys toward carrying guns. Pediatricians, school staff, and clinicians can prevent this by identifying at-risk youth, fostering connection, and integrating trauma-informed support to reduce the risk of school gun violence.

In Chicago, nearly 1 in 5 parents report having access to a firearm. This underscores how important it is that pediatricians discuss secure storage and firearm risks, helping prevent youth firearm deaths through safety discussions and a multilevel, community-informed approach.

Firefighters are on the front lines of gun violence, but are also highly impacted by gun violence themselves. Suicide risk is high due to trauma, PTSD, moral injury, & firearm access. Programs like firefighter-specific secure storage training can guide prevention and save lives.

In the past 5 years, over 1 million U.S. adults had a gun stolen. Risk is highest when guns are being carried, left loaded/unlocked, or stored in cars. Stolen guns often fuel crime -- and clinicians can help prevent this through counseling patients on secure storage.

Gun violence leaves hidden, lifelong scars. Some kids develop short bowel syndrome after firearm injuries, facing complex medical, social, and psychological challenges most never see. Clinicians: prevention and secure storage save lives—and protects future well-being.

Most US firearm deaths are suicides. Clinicians can counsel on storing guns locked & unloaded to keep patients & their loved ones safe. Check out Brady’s guide, “How to Talk to Patients About Firearm Access & Safety” to help have conversations that resonate with gun owners’ sense of responsibility.

After a gunshot injury, many don’t realize a hidden risk: retained lead fragments. For women of childbearing age, these can affect fertility and future children they may have. Clinicians must screen and counsel survivors—but the best care is still preventing shootings in the first place.

New York has a new program that will add firearm access and injury risk screenings to emergency department visits. Healthcare professionals can be incredibly effective at connecting patients with safety resources and promoting secure storage.

Each year, the Dept. of Defense publishes a report with data on suicide and suicide prevention within the military. But that report and data were supposed to be released months ago, and not only are they missing, but the Trump administration hasn't said when, or if, they will be released.

Contact your Senators NOW before it's too late!

1/ Today you might be expecting the weekly Dose on flu, the U.S. pulling out of the WHO, or other health headlines. I’ll get back there soon. But after this weekend, those topics felt small and I needed to pause. Because I don’t know about you, but my weekend was full of really hard juxtapositions🧵

Alex Pretti "used to tell people off when they made sexist comments to female physicians. He bought me coffee when I had a really bad day as an intern...I laughed alongside him daily. He made a point to teach medical residents without judgement, but with a smile on his face and a joke."

“One in 4 nurses already experience workplace violence. As incidents w/ federal law enforcement continue to rise across the country, we are deeply concerned for the safety of nurses, both on the job & in the communities they serve.” Thank you, American Nurses Association. #ThisIsOurLane #AlexPretti

Join Brady's @endfamilyfire.org and partners for a webinar on effective strategies for healthcare practitioners to discuss secure firearm storage and keep communities safe. Register at bit.ly/bradyyouthsa...

Jeri Rees said her nephew was denied care after the assault, claiming that officers did not immediately call paramedics and instead pressed his face into a pool of blood. “The other officers were mocking him, saying, ‘You’re going to lose your eye,' " she said her nephew told her. #ThisIsOurLane

They blame mental health. They cut mental health care. They protect unfettered access to guns. Amazing how the real problem is the one that they always refuse to touch.

"Preventing a physician from treating a dying woman is not merely a procedural choice. It is a moral one. And it should alarm all of us." — Brady Board Chair and @thisisourlane.org Founder @josephsakran.bsky.social Read more in @usatoday.com.

Join Brady's @endfamilyfire.org for a webinar on effective strategies for healthcare practitioners to discuss secure firearm storage and keep communities safe. Register at bit.ly/bradyyouthsa....

Decades of data show childhood exposure to gun violence drives lifelong mental health harm, including depression and substance abuse, with differences across race and gender. Clinicians must include related prevention, screening, and trauma-informed care as part of regular practice.

Guns in the home can create an unexpected risk when it comes to youth suicide, which often involves firearms from home. Health providers can help educate families on risks, secure storage options, and tools like extreme risk protection orders before tragedy strikes.

As folks travel this holiday season, something to keep in mind – Firearms in vehicles are an often-overlooked risk for children. Over half of parents report keeping guns in cars, and a third leave them unlocked. Counseling families on safe storage in vehicles can save lives.

During the holidays, families gather—let’s make safety part of the celebration. Clinicians and parents can work together to keep children safe from firearm injuries at home and in vehicles. Wishing everyone a peaceful and protected holiday season.

Defunding the American Academy of Pediatrics undermines gun violence prevention. Pediatricians are trusted messengers for firearm safety, suicide prevention, & trauma care; this is incredibly dangerous, as gun violence is the leading cause of death for kids in the US. 🧵

Firearm owners at highest risk for suicide—older men, racial minorities—rarely seek mental health care. Outreach, counseling, and lethal means interventions must go beyond traditional mental health settings. What are some ways you try to reach community members where they’re at?

After tragedies like those this weekend, particularly when the horror of gun violence hits so close to home: First, we grieve. Then, turn to facts. Then, with understanding rather than anger or fear, we must act - with community and heart at the center. 💜 www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

As clinicians, we know fear is natural, but it must fuel action. Policy, community, & conversation can protect children. We’re so grateful to This Is Our Lane Advisory Council member @meganranney.bsky.social for translating data into actionable guidance.

Heartbroken by the shooting at Brown University. My thoughts are with the students, faculty, staff, and families impacted. No campus should ever feel unsafe.

Today, as we grieve the tragedy at Brown, we observe 13 yrs since the horrific school shooting at Sandy Hook. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died of gun violence. What’s perhaps most tragic is these deaths are preventable. We know the solutions. We need the conviction to act.

Young people who have a parent in the U.S. military carry firearms at higher rates, but secure storage practices are poorly tracked making it even more important for healthcare providers to counsel military families and promote firearm safety.

So proud of This is Our Lane founder & @bradyunited.org Chief Medical Officer & Board Chair @josephsakran.bsky.social for his work on this new study published @facs.org on @stopthebleed.bsky.social, which underscores why training is so important, and can make the difference between life and death

Thanks to This is Our Lane advisory council member @robincogan.bsky.social for reminding us all that our care extends beyond clinics and into the community, that we must protect the programs that make safety & healing possible, & that life-saving funding MUST be restored.

Evidence shows that simple electronic health record prompts and structured workflows boost safety plan documentation in emergency rooms from 1.3% → 66%. That’s huge. Lethal means counseling works when it’s consistent, and putting systems in place like this can help make it happen.

Firearm laws directly impact youth safety. Pediatricians, school nurses, and mental health providers can integrate this knowledge into counseling: reinforce secure storage, supervision, and parental responsibility, and guide families on ways to reduce adolescent firearm risk.

Assault-related firearm injuries among kids aren’t just more common—they’re far more severe, often requiring ICU care. We need targeted prevention and safe storage counseling now.

Pomona Valley Hospital joined the Pomona Peace Walk to end gun violence. With their distribution of free cable gun locks and "Stop the Bleed" classes, they’re showing how healthcare professionals can lead and take real action. This Is Our Lane—we are preventing injuries and saving lives.

Thankful for the healthcare heroes working to prevent gun violence. Your compassion, courage, and commitment to preventing gun violence—whether through patient care, trauma response, community outreach, or policy advocacy—save lives and bring hope to countless families. Thank you for all you do.

The week around Thanksgiving has the third-highest number of unintentional shootings out of all weeks in the year. This holiday season and always, talk to your patients about firearm access and safety. Discussions about secure storage save lives.

Last week, we were at the National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms where we presented the #ThisIsOurLane resource, "How to Talk to Patients About Firearm Access and Safety" and survey results on how healthcare professionals feel about firearm safety discussions.

CVI works. Richmond went from 47 homicides to 2 by centering those most affected in violence prevention. Healing, mentorship, and accountability reduce shootings and heal communities. Medical providers should support CVI—it’s public health in action.

The great people at the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention are seeking applicants for summer 2026 research fellowships in Firearm Injury Prevention. Amazing opportunity for the right applicants! @shannonrwatts.bsky.social @thisisourlane.org @halleh13.bsky.social

So far this year, at least 5 children in central North Carolina have been injured after getting their hands on a gun, including a 4-year-old who recently shot himself. According to state data, about 1/3 of youth firearm suicides and unintentional deaths could be prevented through safe storage.

"In America, the burden [of addressing gun violence] has often been placed on the shoulders of a few people. What this report is talking about is the collective action that is so critical...to move the needle forward." — @bradyunited.org Chief Medical Officer @josephsakran.bsky.social #ThisIsOurLane

Excited to be at #APHA2025 to discuss the public health crisis of gun violence in the U.S. and how healthcare professionals can be part of the solution. Patients whose physicians counsel them on secure firearm storage are 3x more likely to make decisions to store guns safely. #ThisIsOurLane

States can use Medicaid to sustain community violence intervention programs—but only with careful planning, strong leadership, data, and cross-sector partnerships. This is critical as both CVI and Medicaid funding face growing threats.

In March 2025, the JAMA Summit on Firearm Violence convened thought leaders from medicine, academia, advocacy, government and industry to develop solutions to reduce firearm violence by 2040. 📽️ Hear from the experts themselves and read the report: ja.ma/4hHjJB8