Weapons are bad for people's health. The statement is both frivolous and obvious and yet health professionals have been slow to recognize that the effects of weapons are, by design, a health issue. These effects are so widespread one can say that they constitute a global health issue.

Health professionals can take their responsibilities beyond treatment of the individual wounded person to addressing the global problem by applying principles of preventive medicine. Therefore, the first responsible action is to gather and publish reliable data about the effects of weapons on the health of both individuals and whole populations. This provides a common ground of understanding for other people concerned with weapons. In brief, measures taken to limit the human damage from weapons past, present and future will founder if the human damage is not understood.

The value of this approach is that it provides a framework by which government policy or international law may be influenced as a result of data communicated in a compelling manner. All international treaties which prohibit or limit the use of certain weapons have, as their basis, concerns for health. This section of the website is dedicated to documentation and communication of the effects of weapons from a health perspective.

See also : Weapons and humanitarian law