Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has declared firearm violence in the U.S. a public health crisis. This declaration focuses on the tens of thousands of deaths from gun violence each year and the widespread trauma affecting the larger population.
This is the first time a Surgeon General has issued a public health advisory on gun violence. Murthy’s advisory highlights alarming statistics on firearm-related deaths in the U.S.
“In 2022, 48,204 people died from firearm-related injuries, including suicides, homicides, and unintentional deaths,” the advisory stated. “This is over 8,000 more lives lost than in 2019 and over 16,000 more lives lost than in 2010.”
Murthy emphasized that the crisis extends beyond the record high firearm deaths in 2021, pointing to the significant ripple effects of gun violence.
“For every person who loses their life to gun violence, two others survive with injuries. Many witnesses of these violent incidents suffer mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and PTSD,” Murthy told The Hill.
A national survey in the advisory shows that 54% of adults have either experienced a firearm-related incident or have a family member who has. About 20% of respondents have been threatened with a firearm, and the same percentage have lost a family member to gun violence.
Murthy noted the disproportionate impact on young people and children.
“Gun violence is now the leading cause of death among kids. This was not the case five or ten years ago, but it is now, which should alarm us all,” he said.
The report highlights a significant rise in firearm-related suicides among youth between 2012 and 2022. Suicides increased by 43% among those aged 25 to 24, 45% among those aged 15 to 24, and 68% among children aged 10 to 14.
Murthy links these statistics to a broader youth mental health crisis.
“There has been a disproportionate increase in firearm violence, especially suicide, among the younger population,” Murthy said. “This is consistent with the broader youth mental health crisis we started addressing in 2021.”
The advisory aims to raise awareness and propose legislative actions to address gun violence. Murthy suggests expanding universal background checks to include private sales and gifted firearms, banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilians, and regulating firearms like consumer products with safety requirements and warning labels.
“Public health approaches to issues like cigarette smoking and motor vehicle crashes succeeded through policy changes, product improvements, and public health education,” the advisory noted.
While Democrats support the reforms recommended in Murthy’s advisory, Republicans in Congress have largely opposed them. Additionally, the conservative Supreme Court recently rejected a ban on bump stocks, which enable semi-automatic guns to fire rapidly.
The advisory also highlighted the disparity in gun violence between the U.S. and other high-income countries like Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.K. In 2019, the U.S. had 36.4 deaths per 1 million children and adolescents aged one to 19, nearly six times higher than Canada, the second-highest country.
“We are a significant outlier in a negative way. I hope we can turn this around by making the necessary investments to address gun violence,” Murthy said.
“When we’re at our best, we can lead globally on health issues, as we did with HIV,” he added. “I want to see similar leadership in addressing gun violence.”
