By William H. Frist | April 3, 2024
“I encourage people who, like me, are impatient for change to look around, because something is happening.
A mass shooting. Children dead. Families and communities grieving. Then the cycle repeats. I get asked over and over again: Why do mass shootings not motivate lawmakers to act? Why does nothing happen?
I understand the frustration. I’m a gun owner and a strong Second Amendment supporter. I’m also a physician and a grandfather. We have reached a public-health crisis where firearms are now the No. 1 killer of kids in America. Shockingly, the rate of firearm fatalities among children under 18 increased 87 percent from 2011 to 2021. Had the problem been this large during my time in the U.S. Senate, where I represented Tennessee for 12 years and served as majority leader for four, it would have unquestionably influenced my vote on key firearm-related legislation. I want to see proven firearm-safety policies enacted that protect our children—which we can achieve while preserving our Second Amendment rights.”
Continue reading at The Atlantic.
William H. Frist is a heart- and lung-transplant surgeon and a former United States Senate majority leader who represented Tennessee from 1995 to 2007. He serves as the chair of the global board of the Nature Conservancy.
