A Physician's Battle Against America's Gun Epidemic

Dr. Cedric Dark’s experiences with America’s gun violence crisis began not in the trauma bay, but with a personal tragedy—his cousin Robbie’s senseless death. An emergency room doctor and gun owner, Dr. Dark was moved to action when the NRA suggested that physicians stay out of the gun violence debate. On the contrary, he asserts that addressing gun violence is the domain of physicians like him, declaring that the health and safety of Americans are inseparable from the discussion on gun violence. 

Dr. Dark’s work blends his emergency medicine experience with his public health expertise to confront the crisis head-on. In his book Under the Gun, cowritten with Dr. Seema Yasmin, he draws powerful connections between gun violence and public health issues, treating the epidemic as one would treat a contagion. He argues that gun violence, like an infectious disease, is preventable when we break its transmission chains through targeted interventions and policy changes. 

The book is filled with moving stories—both personal and from his ER—that go beyond statistics to reveal the tragic costs of gun violence on individuals and communities. Through his narrative, Dr. Dark advocates for evidence-based policies and encourages his readers to act now to stop this deadly epidemic. For him, the time for "thoughts and prayers" has long passed—action is the only cure for this ongoing national crisis. As a physician and advocate, Dr. Dark calls on health care workers and society to address gun violence not just as a political issue, but as a matter of life and death. His hope is that sharing these stories and prescribing policy solutions will help pave the way for a safer future for all.