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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 26 June 2024
U.S. surgeon general declares gun violence a public health emergency

By AMANDA SEITZ cratic advocacy groups to
Associated Press speak out more.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The “It is now time for us to take
U.S. surgeon general on this issue out of the realm
Tuesday declared gun vio- of politics and put it in the
lence a public health crisis, realm of public health, the
driven by the fast-growing way we did with smoking
number of injuries and more than a half century
deaths involving firearms in ago,” Murthy told the AP.
the country. It was a 1964 report from the
The advisory issued by Dr. surgeon general that raised
Vivek Murthy, the nation’s awareness about the dan-
top doctor, came as the gers of smoking is largely
U.S. grappled with another credited with reducing to-
summer weekend marked bacco use and precipitat-
by mass shootings that left ing regulations on the indus-
dozens of people dead or try.
wounded. Murthy now hopes his advi-
“People want to be able to sory on guns will shift the con-
walk through their neighbor- versation, too, on this issue.
hoods and be safe,” Murthy Surgeon General Vivek Murthy speaks during an Archewell Foundation panel discussion in New He has been encouraged
told The Associated Press in York City, Oct. 10, 2023. by some developments in
a phone interview. “Ameri- Associated Press Congress, including the pas-
ca should be a place where and the communities we the country’s young people to those on cigarette boxes. sage of the Bipartisan Safer
all of us can go to school, serve,” the group’s presi- and asked Congress to re- But he also has faced Communities Act in 2022
go to work, go to the super- dent, Steven Furr, said in a quire warning labels on so- mounting pressure from that enhanced background
market, go to our house of statement. cial media platforms similar some doctors and Demo- checks for firearms.q
worship, without having to Murthy’s advisory, howev-
worry that that’s going to er, promises to be contro-
put our life at risk.” versial with the gun lobby
To drive down gun deaths, and will certainly incense
Murthy calls on the U.S. to Republican lawmakers,
ban automatic rifles, intro- most of whom opposed his
duce universal background confirmation twice to the
checks for purchasing guns, job over his statements on
regulate the industry, pass gun violence. The National
laws that would restrict their Rifle Association promptly
use in public spaces and rebuked Murthy’s advisory.
penalize people who fail to “This is an extension of the
safely store their weapons. Biden Administration’s war
None of those suggestions on law-abiding gun own-
can be implemented na- ers,” Randy Kozuch, the or-
tionwide without legislation ganization’s president, said
passed by Congress, which in a statement on X.
typically recoils at gun con- It was the NRA, and Re-
trol measures. Some state publicans who enjoy the
legislatures, however, have powerful gun lobby’s sup-
enacted or may consider port, that almost derailed
some of the surgeon gen- Murthy’s confirmation as
eral’s proposals. surgeon general a decade
Surgeon General Murthy ago. Murthy became qui-
said there is “broad agree- eter on the issue of gun vio-
ment” that gun violence lence after his past state-
is a problem, citing a poll ments almost cost him the
last year that found most job. He ended up promising
Americans worry at least the Senate that he did “not
sometimes that a loved intend to use my office as
one might be injured by a surgeon general as a bully
firearm. More than 48,000 pulpit on gun control.” Then-
Americans died from gun President Donald Trump dis-
injuries in 2022. missed Murthy in 2017, but
Doctors quickly praised Mur- President Joe Biden nomi-
thy’s advisory. The American nated him again to the po-
Academy of Family Phy- sition in 2021.
sicians, for example, has Murthy has published warn-
considered gun violence a ings about troubling health
public health epidemic for trends in American life, in-
over a decade. cluding loneliness and so-
“Family physicians have cial media use. In an opinion
long understood, and have piece in The New York Times
seen first hand, the devas- this month, he said social
tating impact firearm vio- media has contributed to a
lence has on our patients mental health crisis among