The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr.
Vivek Murthy, issued a new advisory on Tuesday declaring gun violence a public health crisis. In his announcement, Murthy also called for an evidence-based approach to public health change and a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use. "Firearm violence is an urgent public health crisis that has led to loss of life, unimaginable pain, and profound grief for far too many Americans," Murthy said in a statement.
Ten national medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, American Public Health Association and the YWCA, issued statements of support in a press release distributed by the Office of the Surgeon General. "Across the country, physicians everywhere treat patients and families afflicted by firearm violence," said American Medical Association President Bruce A. Scott, MD, in a statement.
Gun violence is now the leading cause of death in the U.S. among kids and teens.
Gun-related suicides have risen among all age groups from 2012 to 2022; the greatest rise has been among 10-14-year-olds, according to the advisory. Rates of gun-related deaths among kids 1-19 years old in the U.S.
are astronomically high and significantly higher than in other high-income countries. "Pediatricians have long understood that gun violence is a public health threat to children and that its impact on families and communities can be devastating and long-lastin.