February 27, 2018—The Arnold P. Gold Foundation joined with more than 90 organizations today in urging Congressional leadership to launch a bipartisan National Commission on Mass Shootings.
The letter was delivered to Congress by the American Academy of Nursing, which organized the effort. Following the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the American Academy of Nursing released a statement recommending that Congress launch this Commission within 30 days, and specifying that it should be charged with identifying strategies that address seven specific challenges.
Academy President Karen Cox, PhD, RN, FAAN, Executive Vice President/COO, Children’s Mercy Kansas City said, “The 96 organizations that have cosigned our letter share a commitment to keep children, parents, families, teachers, responders, and administrators safe. Enough is enough. We need common sense gun laws, and we need Congress to step up and lead.”
“The Academy’s charge to establish a bipartisan National Commission on Mass Shootings is to develop comprehensive strategies that improve and strengthen policy concerning background checks, gun purchase restrictions, a ban on assault weapons, and health care professionals’ ability to fully fulfill their role in preventing firearm injuries,” urged Academy President-Elect Eileen Sullivan-Marx, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, and a member of the Gold Foundation Board of Trustees.
Read the full letter to Congress.