US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on Tuesday declaring gun violence a national public health crisis, warning that incidents involving firearms are wreaking havoc on the country’s mental well-being.
“Today, for the first time in the history of our office, I am issuing a Surgeon General’s Advisory on firearm violence,” Murthy said in a video statement. “It outlines the urgent threat firearm violence poses to the health and well-being of our country.”
“As a doctor, I’ve seen the consequences of firearm violence up close and the lives of the patients that cared for over the years,” the surgeon general continued. “These are moms and dads, sons and daughters, all of whom were robbed of their physical and mental health by senseless acts of violence.”
NEW: Today, for the first time in the history of our office, I am issuing a Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence. Firearm violence is a public health crisis in America that poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of our country. https://t.co/bNS7xDa96X 1/10 pic.twitter.com/1w43IMMpxA
— Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) June 25, 2024
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Murthy’s advisory states that 54 percent of American adults have “experienced a firearm related incident,” which can include being physically threatened by an assailant, losing a loved one to a shooting, or witnessing a a violent act with a gun. These incidents also factor in situations in which a gun is fired in self-defense. Gun-related death statistics take into account suicides committed with a firearm as well.
The surgeon general also noted that Black people endure the highest rates of firearm homicides, while suicides are highest among Veterans, older white individuals, and younger American Indian or Alaska Native people. However, the most disproportionately impacted demographic, according to the statistics, is the nation’s children, among whom firearms have surpassed drug overdoses and car accidents as a leading cause of death. (As with other groups, this statistic factors in suicides.)
“Beyond these precious lives that are lost to firearm violence, there are wider ripples of harm to those who are injured, who witnessed the incidents, who live in urban and rural communities where such violence takes place, and who constantly read and hear about firearm violence,” Murthy continued. “The collective trauma and fear that Americans are experiencing is contributing to the mental health challenges that we are facing today. Nearly 6 in 10 U.S. adults say they worry about a loved one being a victim of firearm violence.”
Related: Surgeon General Calls for “Tobacco-Style” Health Warnings on Social Media Apps
As a result, Murthy’s office has issued an advisory proposing various steps to address gun violence, including “implementing community violence prevention programs and firearm risk reduction strategies, improving access to mental health care for those exposed to or at risk for firearm violence, and expanding research funding to inform and evaluate our prevention strategies.” The report also calls for a ban on so-called “assault weapons” and large-capacity magazines.
Ten medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, American Public Health Association, and the YWCA, put out statements of support for the surgeon general advisory.
This advisory on gun violence is the first of its kind to be released by the Office of the Surgeon General. The full report can be read below:
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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