Source: AP News
Following another weekend marked by shootings that left dozens of people dead or wounded, the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis.
The advisory issued by Dr. Vivek Murthy comes amidst an era where the health and economic costs of gun violence continue to soar. More than 48,000 Americans, an all-time high, died from gun injuries in 2022.
Younger Americans are particularly suffering from gun violence. Children in the U.S. are far more likely to die from gun wounds than children in other countries, and firearm violence is now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents.
Murthy called on the U.S. to ban assault weapons, introduce universal background checks, and penalize people who fail to safely store their weapons—policies that would require legislative action.
While Congress often struggles to act on this issue, leaders were able to come together in 2022 to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The law has already seen positive results. Over 800 guns have been kept out of the hands of those under 21, and improved background checks have led to more than 500 arms traffickers being charged.
Doctors quickly praised Murthy’s advisory. The American Academy of Family Physicians has considered gun violence a public health epidemic for over a decade. For pediatricians, talking with families about locking up their guns away from their children has become a routine part of visits, said Benjamin Hoffman, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
About half of teens in the U.S. worry about a school shooting. And in areas that have been exposed to a fatal shooting at a school, youth antidepressant use jumps by more than 20%. The detrimental mental health effects of gun violence are being felt by adults as well. Nearly 6 in 10 U.S. adults worry about a loved one being a victim of firearm violence.
Murthy’s advisory promises to be controversial with the gun lobby and Republican lawmakers, most of whom opposed his confirmation — twice — over his statements on gun violence. The National Rifle Association has already rebuked Murthy’s advisory.
“It is now time for us to take this issue out of the realm of politics and put it in the realm of public health,” Murthy told the Associated Press.
“People want to be able to walk through their neighborhoods and be safe,” Murthy said. “America should be a place where all of us can go to school, go to work, go to the supermarket, go to our house of worship, without having to worry that that’s going to put our life at risk.”
