As we enter primary season for this election year, gun violence and control is a hot topic. However, much of the discussion lives in one of two extremes, and little of it is based on actual evidence.  With over 30,000 gun deaths each year, and over 20,000 of those death from suicide, the reality is that gun violence is a public health issue. This means we need to treat this issue from the point of view of the medical evidence.  Today we look at the scope of the problem, what has and hasn't worked, and some thougths about what lies ahead.  Resources: CDC All Injuries Statistics CDC Accidental Death Statistics CDC Homicide and Assault Statistics CDC Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury Statistics CDC Depression Statistics Discussion of Australia's Gun Laws in the New York Times Discussion of Missouri's Gun Laws in the New York Times Survey of Defensive Gun Use Cited Frequently by NRA  Methodological issues with Defensive Gun Use Survey