MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The largest physicians’ organization in Minnesota is calling for a ban on assault weapons and more research on gun violence in the wake of the Florida high school shooting.
Leaders of the Minnesota Medical Association say it’s time that gun violence becomes a public health issue.
In a statement Thursday, the group said “failure to intervene in the face of this significant epidemic is not an option.”
The doctors are calling for renewing and strengthening an assault weapons ban, including high-capacity magazines.
An assault weapon was used in the Feb. 14 Parkland High School shooting that killed 17 people.
High-capacity magazines were used in the Las Vegas concert shooting last October that killed 58 people.
The association has about 10,000 members and represents approximately one-third of Minnesota physicians.
