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Medical doctors all over the United States are hitting back at pro-gun group National Rifle Association of America after what is deemed as a callous remark it made on Twitter last Nov. 7.
The remark was made just a few hours before the deadly Thousand Oaks shooting in California took place on the same day. The mass shooting has claimed the lives of 13 people, one of which was 18-year-old Filipino-American Alaina Housley who was a freshman student at Pepperdine University.
In their tweet, NRA shared an article from its website criticizing a group of doctors who support gun control policies. The NRA called out medical doctors, saying that they should “stay in their lane” when it comes to guns.
“Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Half of the articles in Annals of Internal Medicine are pushing for gun control,” it wrote. “Most upsetting, however, the medical community seems to have consulted NO ONE but themselves.”
Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Half of the articles in Annals of Internal Medicine are pushing for gun control. Most upsetting, however, the medical community seems to have consulted NO ONE but themselves. https://t.co/oCR3uiLtS7
— NRA (@NRA) November 7, 2018
The NRA’s tweet have garnered 3,000 likes since the time of posting. As it made the rounds on Twitter, many doctors took aim and clapped back at the pro-gun group, sparking a chain reaction that has since given birth to the trending #ThisIsMyLane and #ThisIsOurLane discourse happening on the social media site.
One trauma surgeon, Dr. Stephanie Bonne, tweeted at NRA on Nov. 10, telling them just where exactly her lane is.
“My lane is a pregnant woman shot in a moment of rage by her partner,” Dr. Bonne wrote. “She survived because the baby stopped the bullet. Have you ever had to deliver a shattered baby? #ThisIsMyLane. What’s yours? #Docs4GunSense.”
.@NRA says docs should “stay in [our] lane.
My lane is a pregnant woman shot in a moment of rage by her partner. She survived because the baby stopped the bullet. Have you ever had to deliver a shattered baby? #ThisisMyLane . What’s yours? #Docs4GunSense
— Stephanie Bonne (@scrubbedin) November 9, 2018
Forensic pathologist Dr. Judy Melinek made her profanity-laced sentiments known, too, when she shared NRA’s tweet on Nov. 9.
“Do you have any idea how many bullets I pull out of corpses weekly?” Dr. Melinek hit back. “This isn’t just my lane. It’s my f*cking highway.”
Do you have any idea how many bullets I pull out of corpses weekly? This isn’t just my lane. It’s my fucking highway. https://t.co/48S9UIFaV2
— Judy Melinek M.D. (@drjudymelinek) November 9, 2018
Surgeon-scientist Dr. Eugene Gu, meanwhile, shared a story about a patient he once had who was shot in the belly.
“So much blood rushed out of his abdomen when we made our incision that it spilled all over the surgical field and onto the floor,” Dr. Gu wrote last Nov. 13. “We transfused as much blood as we could while removing his spleen. He didn’t make it. #ThisIsOurLane.”
Had a patient who was shot right in the belly. So much blood rushed out of his abdomen when we made our incision that it spilled all over the surgical field and onto the floor. We transfused as much blood as we could while removing his spleen. He didn’t make it. #ThisIsOurLane
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) November 12, 2018
Medical doctor and United States Air Force veteran Dr. Michael Gonzalez also slammed NRA, saying doctors would not be in the lane if guns did not kill so many people.
“If your GUNS didn’t kill & maim so many – men, women, children, of all shapes, sizes & colors, it wouldn’t be in our lane,” Dr. Gonzalez wrote last Nov. 8. “As an #EmergencyMedicine physician, I see and treat patients & families directly devastated by the very reason for your existence. #ThisISOurLane.”
If your GUNS didn’t kill & maim so many – men, women, children, of all shapes, sizes & colors – it wouldn’t be in our lane. As an #EmergencyMedicine physician, I see and treat patients & families directly devastated by the very reason for your existence. #ThisISOurLane https://t.co/VEmSWkZrFr
— Michael Gonzalez, MD (@Zindoctor) November 8, 2018
Emergency physician Dr. Ellie Wallace, on her end, invited the NRA to join her at work for one day so they could see the impact of gun violence in the U.S.
“You have never had to wipe the blood off your shoes before you tell the mother of a 17 yo boy that she will never hug her son again,” Dr. Wallace tweeted last Nov. 10. “THAT is my lane. Come to work with me for one day and see the impact gun violence has on our country. #ThisIsOurLane #BAFERDS #StopGunViolence.”
You have never had to wipe the blood off your shoes before you tell the mother of a 17 yo boy that she will never hug her son again. THAT is my lane. Come to work with me for one day and see the impact gun violence has on our country. #ThisIsOurLane #BAFERDS #StopGunViolence https://t.co/Ecr2PQWWj2
— Ellie Wallace MD (@EMDocEllie) November 9, 2018
Apart from the personal narratives the doctors shared on Twitter, many other doctors have posted photos of them splattered with blood after a day at the emergency rooms to show just what really goes on in their lane.
The NRA, meanwhile, has kept mum on the issue and has not released a statement thus far. JB
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