America’s top health official released a report Tuesday declaring gun violence a “public health crisis” and calling for broad-based gun control, a measure that has historically faced stiff opposition.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s ruling is the first major report on gun violence by his office, which has limited authority but plays an important role in public health issues.
A similar report on tobacco in the 1960s is seen as a key first step in raising awareness about its danger, which ultimately led to new regulations and a sharp drop in consumption.
“Gun violence is an urgent public health crisis that has led to loss of life, profound and unimaginable pain for too many Americans,” Murthy said in a statement.
“We do not have to continue down this path and we do not have to subject our children to the horror of gun violence in America. All Americans deserve to live free from gun violence, fear and devastation. what this brings,” he asserted.
The report cites government and other data showing the United States is an outlier in firearm deaths and injuries, especially among children.
In recent years, firearms have become the leading cause of death among Americans ages 1 to 19, above traffic accidents, according to the report.
In 2022, 48,204 people died as a result of firearms, including suicides.
“It will take our nation’s collective commitment to turn the tide on gun violence,” Murthy said, calling for investments in research, community education programs, mental health support and stricter controls on gun purchases. .
The report also calls for safely storing firearms, implementing universal background checks and banning assault weapons.
Biden and gun control activists have called for similar measures. The United States suffers from frequent mass shootings, including in schools, but reforms have been stymied for decades by opposition from the gun lobby and Republican lawmakers.
Executive actions and state initiatives have been attacked in court for violating the constitutional right to own a firearm, enshrined in the Second Amendment.
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