As medical students living and working in Kansas City, we are concerned about House Bill 1708, proposed by state Rep. Adam Schnelting, which seeks to restrict church leaders from banning concealed carry firearms in places of worship . The legislation would also allow firearms on public transportation and would allow 18-year-olds to carry concealed guns. This would aggravate disparities in underprivileged communities, as gun violence increases proportionally with loosened gun restrictions . As two medical students learning within a safety net hospital system, we see firsthand the inequality that politicians turn a blind eye to.
On Feb. 2, we all received a school-wide electronic group notification informing us of an active shooter in our emergency department. That morning, both of us felt unique colors of pain, fear, and sadness. While the faculty continued to lecture, we know that several of our peers experienced the same whirlwind of disbelief. Some students chatted frantically in the back of the class, while others gazed with glassy eyes toward the front of the lecture hall.