by George M. Anderson

About the author: George Anderson is an associate editor of America, a weekly news journal.

Many Americans tend to regard gun violence as primarily a crime issue, and consequently look to stricter laws, longer prison sentences and more prisons as the answer. Increasingly, however, other approaches are being explored. One entails viewing it as a public health crisis. A series of interviews with health professionals around the country revealed both the growth of this approach and the gravity of the problem of firearms violence in the United States.

Among the foremost groups promoting the public health aspect is the Federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Ga. The director of its violence prevention division, James Mercy, M.D., commented on the need to widen the public&rsquo...