Thank you, Sen. Tester, for putting public health first

Editor:

When Sen. Jon Tester voted in favor of the Manchin-Toomey amendment to expand background checks to gun sales online and at gun shows last month, he was taking a stand against the devastating toll of gun violence affecting communities across the country.

The Montana Public Health Association thanks Sen. Tester for his commitment to protecting the public's health.

Gun violence kills more than 30,000 people in the U.S. every year and costs billions of dollars in health expenditures. Despite so many lives lost, death by firearms is not inevitable. Expanding background checks represents a c...