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WHAT is the best way to prevent deaths from gunshot wounds in young people? Show them the harsh reality of gun violence, says trauma chief Edward Cornwell at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Cornwell says that rap videos and other media glamorise gun violence, distorting the reality. While surgical advances have lowered the death rate from head injuries and traffic accidents, there has been no similar improvement when it comes to bullet wounds. “Over 70 per cent are dead on arrival,” he says.

So in a recent study, Cornwell’s team showed photos of actual gunshot victims to about 100…

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