Senate committee hears heart-wrenching testimony on gun violence from pediatricians

WASHINGTON, DC (CBSDFW.COM) – Ahead of the June 15 U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence prevention, more than 300 pediatricians submitted their own personal testimonies, illustrating how gun violence has impacted their patients, communities and lives.

The stories, which were submitted in just over two days, range from heart-wrenching accounts of patients who were victims of gun violence to gripping examples of the long-term trauma caused by exposure to gun violence. 

Here is one of them:

Children who are shot are usually rushed to the hospital—without their parents—as fast as possible by EMS or police. So I have looked into the terrified eyes of many children after they've been shot and tried to comfort them. I tell them that they're in a safe place now, that we're going to take care of them, while around them our ER staff moves quickly, cutting off clothes, placing IVs, assessing the injuries, treating pain, and doing our best to minimize the damage after the injury occurred.

The feeling of their scared eyes, locked on mine, while I tell them they're safe, is a feeling I don't forget. There is a promise in that look we share. They desperately want an adult to take care of them. I tell them they're safe in a safe place now, but in my heart, I don't know if they are. – Dr. Halden Scott, Denver, CO, Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

The pediatrician's stories span 40 states, touching on specialties ranging from surgery to neonatology, and collectively demonstrate that the doctors who care for children injured and killed by guns are themselves forever shaped by gun violence. 

"The number of pediatricians who took the time to tell their stories is a true testament to how profoundly gun violence impacts children and how extensively it has transformed our profession," said American Academy of Pediatrics President Moira Szilagyi, MD. "I hope the senators who read these testimonials are moved to enact meaningful policy change."

During the hearing, Dr. Szilagyi will testify before senators to discuss the toll of gun violence on young people and the need for comprehensive policies that will keep children safe. She will urge the Senate to complete action on the recently announced bipartisan framework as a first needed step to address gun violence.

"These testimonies should be required reading for every Senator and Representative. Their words and perspectives vary, but their common thread is urgency. Children and adolescents are dying. We must act now," said Dr. Szilagyi. "Pediatricians will continue to speak up in every way we know how until we see meaningful policy change."