Believe in my words: gun violence

In the first article of Take My Word For It, we spoke with Dr. John Kortbeek, who talked about gun violence in Calgary.

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“Believe me” An exciting new series for digital subscribers to Calgary Herald.

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We receive letters submitted to editors in the words of readers like you and bring them to life through videos.

In our first installation, we talked about gun violence in Calgary and heard from Dr. John Courtbeak who sent us the following letter:

As a surgeon with more than 30 years of trauma and critical care in Calgary, I have witnessed an increase in injuries associated with gun violence in our city.

Last year, more than 50 patients were hospitalized for trauma services in Calgary and had serious gunshot wounds. The numbers have steadily increased over the last decade.

I was curious to read the recent opinion of the State Chief Firearms Officer announced in Herald. This is that there is no evidence of recent legislation limiting ownership of military-style assault weapons. There is a clear link between these weapons and gun violence, and there are numerous peer-reviewed publications showing that they have the greatest impact on multiple mass shootings.

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In addition, significant reductions have been seen in jurisdictions that limit semi-automatic weapons and large magazines. Most notable are Australia after the Port Arthur massacre and Britain after the shooting at the Dunblane school.

Fortunately, we live in a democratic society where we are free to discuss what level of gun violence society is acceptable and which weapons should be sold. Recent polls have confirmed majority support among Canadians, including Albertan, for limiting assault weapons. The final decision is up to the general public.

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please send it to letters@calgaryherald.com.