Firearms and Clinical Practice

Book excerpt: "Given that many of us (clinicians) have had relatively little or no exposure to guns on personal or professional levels, this chapter is devoted to providing a general overview of firearms and firearm-related concepts. First, we briefly review the history of guns, including their use by military and law enforcement personnel, as well as civilians. We then address the prevalence of guns in pop-culture and public sentiment associated with firearm-related issues. In the second section of this chapter, we discuss the importance of developing professional and cultural competence, including but not limited to being able to identify firearm-related subcultures and related factors that may be relevant to our patients. Lastly, we provide an overview of guns as a matter of hardware; namely, how they work, various types of guns and ammunition, and gun safety principles. Throughout the chapter, we stress the benefits of becoming familiar with gun-specific concepts, such as to facilitate rapport with certain clients and to improve clinical decision-making across the board. Indeed, this entire book has been designed with these ideals in mind. We also weave in case examples throughout the book to illustrate how various considerations may play out and to demonstrate the applicability of various firearm-related principles in our clinical practices"--