Preparing For Gun Grab: U.S. Surgeon General Warns Firearm Violence A Public Health Crisis

The U.S. surgeon general has declared firearm violence a public health crisis.

On Tuesday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned that gun violence is a severe threat to the health of Americans.

Murthy shared, “As a doctor, I’ve seen the consequences of firearm violence up close in the lives of the patients I’ve cared for over the years. These are moms and dads, sons and daughters, all of whom were robbed of their physical and mental health by senseless acts of violence.”

If firearms are labeled as a “public health crisis,” then the government might try to implement emergency health measures that violate America’s Second Amendment rights.

🚨🚨 U.S. Surgeon General declares firearm violence a public health crisis pic.twitter.com/EafVwc4hYv

— House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) June 25, 2024

Here’s what NBC News:

In a landmark announcement, the U.S. surgeon general declared firearm violence a public health crisis in the nation Tuesday.

Dr. Vivek Murthy warned in the advisory that gun violence poses a “serious threat to the health and well-being of our country,” that has not just a serious physical toll, but mental as well.

ADVERTISEMENT

It marks the first time the government’s leading public health body has honed in on guns.

“As a doctor, I’ve seen the consequences of firearm violence up close in the lives of the patients I’ve cared for over the years. These are moms and dads, sons and daughters, all of whom were robbed of their physical and mental health by senseless acts of violence,” Murthy said in a video Tuesday.

The rate of firearm-related deaths reached a near three-decade high in 2021 — driven by spikes in gun homicides and firearm suicides, according to the 40-page advisory.

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

Per CBS:

The U.S. surgeon general on Tuesday declared gun violence a public health crisis, driven by the fast-growing number of injuries and deaths involving firearms in the country.

The advisory issued by Dr. Vivek Murthy, the nation’s top doctor, came as the U.S. grappled with another summer weekend marked by mass shootings that left dozens of people dead or wounded.

“People are scared in many communities I visit around the country to do normal things like go to school or the grocery store or work and they’re worried about the risk to their life,” Murthy said in an interview with “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday.

To drive down gun deaths, Murthy calls on the U.S. to ban automatic rifles, introduce universal background checks for purchasing guns, regulate the industry, pass laws that would restrict their use in public spaces and penalize people who fail to safely store their weapons.

None of those suggestions can be implemented nationwide without legislation passed by Congress, which typically recoils at gun control measures. Some state legislatures, however, have enacted or may consider some of the surgeon general’s proposals.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gun Owners of America warned the U.S. Senate that Vivek Murthy would abuse his public health authority as @Surgeon_General to advance gun control. ⁰⁰7 Republicans voted to confirm @Vivek_Murthy anyway. How did your Senators vote? https://t.co/OcNDgoHxil pic.twitter.com/kC1dap8wXB

— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) June 25, 2024