ACEM welcomes new gun laws

The peak body for emergency medicine in New Zealand has welcomed today’s strengthening of gun laws.

Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) President-Elect Dr John Bonning, who is based in Waikato, said: “Strengthening gun control, registration and licencing makes people safer. We congratulate Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and call on Parliament to pass these laws as quickly as possible.”

ACEM President Dr Simon Judkins said: “Nothing like last week’s terrorist attack on the Muslim community in Christchurch must be allowed to happen again. As the Prime Minister has stated, these moves are in everyone’s interest.”

Dr Judkins said mass casualty events like the terrorist attack in Christchurch, and the response of healthcare professionals, underlined the importance of emergency care.

“We have seen how critical it is that emergency department teams across New Zealand and Australia are properly staffed, resourced and supported to ensure specialist emergency medicine doctors can deliver the best critical care,” Dr Judkins said.

Background

ACEM is the peak body for emergency medicine in Australia and New Zealand, responsible for training emergency physicians and advancement of professional standards. www.acem.org.au

In Australia, ACEM has lent its support to the Australian Gun Safety Alliance, which highlights how important strong gun laws are to national safety, and the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, set up in memory of Alannah and Madeline Mikac, aged six and three, who were tragically killed with their mother and 32 others at Port Arthur, Tasmania, on 28 April 1996. The Foundation was launched in 1997 and has been operating for more than 20 years. Its mission is to keep children safe from violence.

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