Marching for our lives on the road to Jericho

Abstract

Gun violence and its trauma have reached epidemic proportions. The trauma of gun violence is both acute and chronic. The term epidemic in this instance is both a public health appraisal of the impact of gun violence as well as a metaphor that might spark the civic imagination toward a more effective response. The metaphor also invites healthcare ethics and healing practices to contribute to communal response. As a public health issue, the epidemic of gun violence must also be addressed at a structural level and in systemic ways.