There are a lot of voices in the national discourse about gun violence — victims, politicians, activists, lobbyists, gun owners, pundits, law enforcement — but rarely does the public hear from the very people who deal directly with the fallout from gun violence on a daily basis: Trauma surgeons. These are the professionals who see the reality behind the cold statistics of injuries and death from firearms. For various reasons, their views and experiences are rarely heard.

There’s a small but growing movement in the world of trauma surgery to change that. The increased attention to the topic of gun control in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting, and the way the Black Lives Matter movement has drawn attention to the intersection of race and violence, have contributed to an atmosphere where trauma surgeons, some of whom see gunshot victims on a daily basis, feel compelled to speak up.

Last week, the American Surgical Association held its annual meeting in Philadelphia, and Dr. Shelby Resnick, a trauma surgeon in that city, presented a paper she co-wrote with a group […]