Gun violence deserves to be treated as a public health crisis

For anyone living in Baltimore, it is all too easy to recognize the devastating impact of gun violence, particularly on young Black men from less affluent neighborhoods. We have grown accustomed to the yearly, monthly and even weekly body counts. While the number of homicides and non-fatal shootings has thankfully declined recently — falling to the lowest level in a decade last year — it is staggering to comprehend the broader and lingering impact of guns on our community.