At the Annual Meeting, July, 2014, the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians sent resolutions on Gun Violence to the AAFP Reference Committee on Advocacy. This became AAFP Resolution 510 and asked the AAFP to align with other national medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Resolutions 3 & 4 – Adopted July 18, 2014
Resolution No. 3 – Aligning American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Firearms-Related Policies with Other National Medical Organizations
RESOLVED: that the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) reaffrm its policy on gun violence in alignment with the AAFP policy; and be it further
RESOLVED: that MAFP ask AAFP to advocate for consumer product regulations that make safe gun storage a priority; and be it further
RESOLVED: that MAFP ask AAFP to advocate for child firearm and ammunition access prevention laws such that there would be criminal penalties for gun owners who are not responsible in the way that they store their frearms or ammunition; and be it further
RESOLVED: that MAFP ask AAFP to discuss with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services the ability to establish national programs to support gun safety training and counseling programs among physicians
and other medical professionals; and be it further
RESOLVED: that MAFP ask AAFP to advocate for repeal of sec 2717(c) of the ACA that bans health insurances in the health exchanges from collecting data about frearms in homes.
Resolution No. 4 – Prevention of Gun Violence
RESOLVED: that MAFP take a leadership role as a voice protecting our State’s citizens by actively supporting frearm legislation and enforcement in accordance with MAFP/AAFP policy; and be it further
RESOLVED: that MAFP seek out legislators actively working on frearm safety legislation to partner with; and be it further
RESOLVED: that MAFP actively opposes any legislation that would allow concealed weapons to be carried in to self-designated ‘gun free’ zones, including hospitals and healthcare facilities; and be it further
RESOLVED: that MAFP encourage the inclusion of presentations promoting frearm safety and prevention of gun violence in national, state, and local continuing medical education programs as physicians look for more evidenced based strategies on how to discuss frearm safety and preventable violence with their patients.
Note: Resolutions 3 & 4 authored by MAFP members Jerry Walden, MD, FAAFP (Ann Arbor) and Anne Kittendorf, MD, FAAFP (Dexter)