The Dickey Amendment, named after former Arkansas Rep. Jay Dickey, created a de-facto ban on federal funding for gun research in the 1990s. Dickey has said he only meant the law to stop the use of federal money for advocacy and regrets it's been used to stop nearly all gun violence research, but that’s the way the law has been used ever since. The resulting dearth of research means there is a lot Americans don't know about how to prevent gun violence. Dr. Larry Wolk, head of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, tells Colorado Matters the need for more research ought to be something everyone can get behind. And Dr. Emmy Betz describes how she got a rare federal grant to study guns and suicide prevention in Colorado — and what more she would investigate given the resources.

In November, 2018, GeriPal Podcast interviewed Dr. Emmy Betz about firearm safety, including how to counsel individuals with dementia about guns. GeriPal aims at providing an open community forum among interdisciplinary providers and anyone interested in geriatric and palliative care to positively impact clinical practice and healthcare policy

This guest commentary in the Denver Post with trauma surgeon Dr. Catherine Velopulos discussed the #ThisIsOurLane phenomenon and the role of physicians in helping prevent firearm injuries and deaths.

Doctors across the U.S. have become increasingly vocal in addressing gun violence as a public health crisis, a posture that recently has drawn the wrath of the National Rifle Association.

Dr. Emmy Betz, who studies guns and dementia at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, suggests that families draw up a firearms agreement — a kind of advance directive for guns.

Several Colorado gun shops ban together in support of the the Colorado Gun Shop Project. the Colorado Gun Shop Project is helping push the 11 commandment of gun safety: Consider off-site storage -- family, friends, some shooting clubs, police departments or gun shops -- if a family member may be suicidal. people don’t realize that the vast majority of gun deaths aren’t homicides, but suicides. Suicide is the seventh-leading cause of death in Colorado and more than half of those suicides involved a firearm.

At the University of Colorado Hospital, Dr. Emmy Betz said she saw three suicidal patients on a recent night. Each had taken drugs -- and all survived. “With firearms, typically there’s not that second chance."

Colorado Public Radio:

"Retirement is something that happens to all of us, right? And maybe we even look forward to it," Betz said. "You prepare for it, you make financial plans, you think about what you're going to do."

Colorado Public Radio

Elderly drivers can pose a risk to themselves and their passengers, so some Coloradans want to see them get driving tests, coaching, and in some cases put down the keys altogether. It's getting more important to address the issue because the number of drivers 65 and older is growing fast.

But there's a risk of getting people off the road too soon, because it may lead to depression and even early death, according to Emmy Betz, an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She tells Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner that doctors should talk regularly with older patients about when to stop driving.

Colorado Public Radio

There will be more and more elderly drivers on Colorado’s roads. It’s a fact of living in a state with lots of baby boomers. And it leads to a really sensitive question: How do you get older drivers, who are unsafe, off the road? Dr. Emmy Betz and her team at the University of Colorado Denver have studied the issue. Betz speaks with Ryan Warner.