To the Editor:
[Re: “With Firearm Violence Increasing, Surgeons Call for Disaster Planning,” April 2017, page 1]
Mass shootings in the United States have claimed about 1,300 victims, dead or wounded, over the past 34 years. In contrast, cholecystectomy—considered to be a “safe” procedure—has a known mortality of about 1,500 people per year. I am not equating mass shootings to biliary surgery, I am just offering perspective on the issue.