Marc B. Hahn, D.O.’84, president and CEO of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, had a guest editorial in the Nov. 11, 2017, Kansas City Star on gun control and mental illness. A self-described “former soldier, a conservative and a onetime gun owner,” he described recent instances of mass gun violence as “a very loud wake-up call.”
“As an educator of health professionals and an important voice in the medical community, I realize that my university has an obligation to spur dialogue and encourage action to reduce the devastating impact of gun violence on public health,” he stated in the editorial. “Our oath as physicians and health professionals, and our allegiance to our university’s mission of ‘improving the well-being of the communities we serve,’ demand it.”
Hahn advocated in part for the nation to address gun control in relation to the ease of access to firearms, particularly for individuals with a history of mental illness or who are on federal no-fly or watch lists.
“We must not become numb to this ongoing destructive toll on humanity and this growing global mood of hate,” he concluded. “We must do what is right, and just — not only for the memories of those who were lost, but for our children, our children’s children and for our great nation.”
