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In the United States, someone experiences a gunshot wound every 4 minutes 44 seconds, and a person dies as a result each

16 minutes. Annually, this means that approximately 111,000 Americans are shot and 33,800 die as a result of these injuries, which equates to 93 deaths caused by firearms every day. 1, 2 In contrast, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan has resulted in less than 200 deaths per year from gunshot wounds during the height of the conflict (Table 1). Gunshot wound injuries are a preventable epidemic in the United States. This silent epidemic is largely deaf to the American public because we are so accustomed to these injuries that they rarely make the news. Gun violence leading to homicide may get some attention, but an even greater toll is placed on the survivors who must live with the loss of loved ones or are burdened by the costs associated with the temporary or permanent disability caused by …