As a nurse always something new - if sad- to learn BRI (bullet related injury)

The Viral Illness of 'Gun Violence'
— The most virulent feature is polarization\

by by LJ Punch, M.D. published in MedPage Today.

In March, another mass shooting took the lives of three children. Three adults were killed in the shooting.
A fourth adult died as well.
A classroom became a crime scene.
A workplace became a morgue.
A schoolyard transformed into an emergency waiting room.
A small community hosted the national press.
And fame that was never sought was shared across the globe.
Then just as fast as the collective media cameras zoomed in for the close up, they panned to another shot.
Because it was over.
But you and I both know it's not.
You felt it when you looked at your child's book bag.
You thought about it when you checked on your Glock.
You thought about it when that nightmare came back with you crouched under your school desk.
You thought about the sound, the pop pop.
You had questions.
You had answers.
You made sure your supply of bullets was stocked.
You checked on your friends.
You questioned your neighbors.
You wrote letters and posts and emails.
You made sure the door was locked.

And then you checked it again.
Lock lock.

You couldn't eat.
You couldn't sleep.
Your back and head and feet were hurting.
Your stomach was rancid.
Your neck was hot.
Your fingers felt cold.
You imagined you were dead.

All of these feelings. All of this commotion. All of this anger and rage. All of this terror. All of this horror.

Because it was over.

But you and I both know it's not.

You felt it when you looked at your child's book bag.

You thought about it when you checked on your Glock.

You thought about it when that nightmare came back with you crouched under your school desk.

You thought about the sound, the pop pop.

You had questions.

You had answers.

You made sure your supply of bullets was stocked.

You checked on your friends.

You questioned your neighbors.

You wrote letters and posts and emails.

You made sure the door was locked.

And then you checked it again.

Lock lock.

You couldn't eat.
You couldn't sleep.
Your back and head and feet were hurting.
Your stomach was rancid.
Your neck was hot.
Your fingers felt cold.
You imagined you were dead.

All of these feelings. All of this commotion. All of this anger and rage. All of this terror. All of this horror.

You felt it whether you chose to or not.
This is
Bullet
Related
Injury

BRI

The physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual impact of being injured by a bullet or threatened by one.

It is the whole person experience of having your life threatened by powder-powered metal.

It impacts families, communities, homes, and nations.

For some it is the foundation of why it is so important to own a gun.

For others it is the precise reason to not.

And for me as a trauma surgeon and community health advocate, it is the most significant unrecognized health concern in America, a "viral" illness whose most virulent feature is polarization.

This piece is part one in a two-part series on gun violence. Part two will focus on the history of gun violence and potential solutions.

LJ Punch, MD,opens in a new tab or window is a "trauma surgeon in recovery," who serves as executive and medical director of Power4STL and The Bullet Related Injury Clinic, known as "The BRIC."

LJ Punch is an American critical care surgeon, an associate professor of surgery, and a scholar within the Institute for Public Health at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Punch is also an activist in the fight against gun violence and directs StopTheBleedSTL, located at "The T" anti-violence center in St. Louis, which runs programs to educate the community on how to reduce the impact of trauma, injury, and violence in St. Louis. 

As a physician, educator, and activist, Punch aims to propagate the idea of “Radical Generosity” as means to better his community and the lives of those around him.