Fellow Advocate,

Have you ever spent a holiday in an ER? I have. I’ve repaired bullet wounds and told families their loved ones were gone during the holidays. My Holiday Wish is that the worst injury I see this holiday season is a paper cut from wrapping paper – and you can help me get close to that by demanding your elected lawmakers prioritize gun safety in the upcoming legislative session that starts in January.

My name is Dr. Elinore Kaufman, and I am a trauma surgeon at Penn Medicine. I’m also honored to serve as Medical Director for the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program, on the steering committee for the newly formed task force PA Health Professionals Against Gun Violence, and a CeaseFirePA board member. But I am here for the same reason as you: because I want the gun violence to end. And I believe we can end it together.

Caring for people as they heal from traumatic wounds, and comforting the loved ones of those who don’t heal, is a profound honor. But, as a human being, I am saddened and frustrated by the amount of preventable carnage that pours into my E.R. 

If I could make one holiday wish this year, it would be for a respite from this tragic cycle. I want to see my E.R. free of gun violence victims.

I’m doing my part to make my wish a reality. I’ve joined forces with CeaseFirePA to remind our legislators that they work for us, and demand they pass bills to free us from gun violence. I can’t go at it alone, so I’m asking you to step into your power and join me. Will you take a moment to send your State Representative and Senator Nikil Saval a brief message urging them to prioritize gun safety bills next legislative session?

I work in Philadelphia, but I’m part of a statewide coalition of surgeons, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, who all tell me similar stories of hospitals overwhelmed by shooting victims. I know that gun violence has decreased drastically across PA, thanks to advocacy and funding for critical community-based violence intervention programs. But, it’s sadly not enough. Our laws must catch up to the progress we’ve made on the ground.

We still have a narrow gun safety majority in the PA House. We need to lean heavily on them, and make inroads on the other side, to get the laws we need passed and onto Gov. Shapiro’s desk. Will you join me in urging all of our legislators to prioritize proven policies to end gun violence? Click here to send a pre-written, but editable, message to your State Representative and Senator Saval demanding they advance gun safety bills in the new legislative session that begins in January.

Standing with you,

Dr. Elinore Kaufman, MD, MSHP