TUESDAY, June 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Gun violence in the United States has become a national public health crisis, the U.S. Surgeon General declared Tuesday.
"Today, for the first time in the history of our office, I am issuing a Surgeon General's Advisory on firearm violence. It outlines the urgent threat firearm violence poses to the health and well-being of our country," said in a announcing the new health advisory. "As a doctor, I've seen the consequences of firearm violence up close," he added.
"These are moms and dads, sons and daughters, all of whom were robbed of their physical and mental health by senseless acts of violence." "Unfortunately, the problem has continued to grow. Fifty-four percent of adults in America report that they or family member have experienced a firearm-related incident, whether they've been personally threatened with or injured by a firearm, lost a family member, witnessed a shooting or shot a firearm in self-defense.
" Some Americans are harmed more than others, Murthy noted. "Black individuals endure the highest rates of firearm homicides, while suicide rates are highest among veterans, older white individuals and younger American Indian or Alaska Native people," he said. "What is especially devastating is how this has affected our children.
Firearm violence has become the number one cause of death among children and adolescents, more than car accidents or drug overdoses." Health experts applauded the bold move. “Pediatricians have lon.