FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Doctors for America PO Box: 21161 2300 18th St NW Lbby Washington, DC 20009-9996 April 22, 2025 Doctors for America Calls for Evidence-Based Solutions After FSU Shooting WASHINGTON, D.C. – Doctors for America (DFA) is heartbroken and outraged by the devastating acts of gun violence that continue to unfold across the country. Last week, at least six individuals were hospitalized and two have died following a shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Just days earlier, multiple students were wounded in a shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas, almost a year after another shooting there. That same day, two high school students were shot in Chicago–one fatally. These tragedies occurred as the nation marks the anniversaries of the mass shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech, stark reminders of the lives lost and the inaction that has since followed. Since Columbine, there have been over 420 school shootings in the United States, resulting in countless deaths and lifelong trauma for students, educators, families, and communities. Gun violence remains the leading cause of death for children and teens in this country. And yet, rather than take action, the Trump administration has dismantled the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and is working to roll back our nation’s already fragile gun violence prevention policies, including eliminating the public health advisory board on gun violence and halting critical research efforts that examine root causes and public health impacts of firearm violence. We cannot allow this cycle of violence to continue. The answer to this crisis is not more guns, but evidence-based solutions such as universal background checks and safe firearm storage laws–like Ethan’s Law, which would require firearms to be securely stored in homes to prevent unauthorized access– robust community investment, and the political will to treat gun violence as the public health emergency it is. Doctors see the human toll of gun violence every single day—in emergency rooms, in trauma centers, and in the quiet moments of grief that follow. We urge elected leaders to stop choosing inaction over responsibility. Our patients deserve better, and our communities deserve to feel safe. The time for action is long overdue. ### About Doctors for America: Doctors for America mobilizes doctors and medical students to be leaders in putting patients over politics to improve the health of our patients, communities, and nation. DFA is an organization of over 27,000 physician and medical student advocates in all 50 states, representing all areas of specialization. DFA teaches physicians and medical students advocacy skills and does advocacy at a state and federal level. Our impact areas focus on access to affordable care, community health and prevention, and health justice and equity. DFA focuses solely on what is best for our patients, not on the business side of medicine. In addition, DFA does not accept any funding from the pharmaceutical or medical device industry, insurance companies or for-profit healthcare companies; which uniquely positions DFA as the organization that puts patients over politics and patients over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on Twitter drsforamerica or Bluesky drsforamerica.bsky.social.