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Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

Become a Member
Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits

Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

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Working to Prevent Firearm Injuries and Deaths

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The ACS convened a summit with 47 multidisciplinary medical and injury prevention professional organizations on firearm injury prevention.

The ACS embraces and fosters a public health approach to reducing firearm injury. The ACS has:

  • Convened two summits with medical and injury prevention organizations to create a consensus-based approach to firearm injury prevention
  • Developed an effective strategy to reduce firearm injury, death, and disability through the Firearm Strategy Team (FAST)
  • Established the Improving Social Determinants to Attenuate Violence (ISAVE) workgroup, which developed four strategies to address the root causes of violence
  • Advocated for important legislation on Capitol Hill
  • Created resources, brochures, publications, and more

The full scope of the ACS’ efforts are outlined below.

“Effective healthcare is not just about treating the wounds of firearm violence, but also preventing them in the first place. By addressing the root causes of violence and providing education and support, healthcare professionals can play a crucial role in preventing firearm violence and promoting a safer, healthier society.”

Eileen M. Bulger, MD, FACS

“Preventing firearm violence requires a multifaceted approach, one that includes not only common-sense firearm legislation, but also addressing the underlying social and economic factors that contribute to it.”

Joseph V. Sakran, MD, MPH, MPA, FACS

Key Firearm Injury Statistics

  • Since 2020, firearm-related injury has been the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents (ages 1–19).
  • The rate of firearm-related suicide increased by 20% for all age groups from 2012 to 2022, with the largest increase occurring among younger people.
  • The U.S. has 36.4 deaths per 1 million people among children and adolescents. The next highest among OECD nations is Canada with 6.2 per 1 million.
  • 56% of unintentional firearm deaths among children and adolescents happened in their own home—74% of firearms used were stored loaded and 76% we stored unlocked. 

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Firearm Violence in America