Firearms as a public-health issue
The New England Journal of Medicine has two pieces up stemming from a case now before the Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the District of Columbia's ban on handguns. The Bush Administration has urged the high court to rule the laws an unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment.
One article, by a physician and public-health professional, looks at gun violence as a public health issue. It cites studies that undermine what it calls "myths" surrounding the benefits of widespread gun ownership.
The second piece, by a law professor, simply examines the constitutional issues (without touching on public health) in what strikes me as a logical and nuanced way. It concludes that the court might well strike the D.C. ban and would have a logical basis for doing so, albeit not one everyone would agree with.
The Journal also has published an editorial urging the justices to consider the public-health implications along with the constitutional questions.
Read these pieces and tell me what you think.