Firearms claim the lives of >30 000 Americans annually; frequently among these are children.1 This problem is not new; it has existed for decades. One of the most publicly visible physicians of our time, C. Everett Koop, a pediatric surgeon and former Surgeon General of the United States, recognized that violence was a public health problem, and in 1985 convened a workshop to address this.problem. In a follow-up editorial regarding violence, he admonished, "We can wait no longer to act" to address firearm violence2 Nearly 3 decades later, little has changed. In that time, there have been >900 000 firearms deaths, including 100 000 children in the United States.1 Koop recognized that, "In science, you can't hide from data."3 Regarding pediatric firearms mortality, the data are indisputable. The recent mass shooting event at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which claimed the lives of 20 children, was compelling.
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