Surgeon general calls guns a public health threat in new advisory
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Addressing America's gun violence crisis requires a public health approach, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared in an advisory Tuesday.
Why it matters: The surgeon general's advisory, one of the most significant tools his office has to draw the public's attention to a health issue, comes days before the first presidential debate and follows a spate of mass shootings in the first weekend of summer.
- "For too long, this issue has been mired in polarization and politics, but our goal, my goal, is to take this issue out of the realm of politics and put it into the realm of public health, which is where it belongs," Murthy told Axios.
- Murthy, who has long spoken about guns as a public health threat, has issued similar advisories warning about loneliness and social media's impact on kids.
- The new advisory calls for increased funding for research and risk reduction strategies such as community violence intervention programs and education on secure firearm storage. It also recommends tightened regulations, including safe storage laws, universal background checks and assault weapon bans.
The big picture: It's the latest signal that the Biden administration will promote gun safety measures heading into the election, looking to draw a sharp contrast with former President Trump's opposition to gun restrictions.
- It's also an indication of how gun politics have shifted in the decade since Murthy's views on gun violence almost derailed his first nomination for surgeon general during the Obama administration.
- Meanwhile, advocates on both sides of the gun issue are stepping up efforts to mobilize voters this fall, The Guardian reported.
Zoom in: Americans rank access to guns among the top threats to public health, only behind mental health, obesity and opioids, according to the Axios-Ipsos American Health Index.
- Among the key voting bloc of seniors, about 1 in 5 identified guns as the top public health threat, ranking only behind opioids, our February survey found.
- However, another Axios-Ipsos poll found the words "Second Amendment" remain among the most polarizing.
By the numbers: There were more than 48,000 firearm deaths in 2022, more than half from suicides.
- 54% of Americans say either they or a family member have experienced a firearm-related incident.
- "We should never get used to that number. That should not be the normal," Murthy said.
Between the lines: While mass shootings account for a relatively small number of firearm deaths, their increased frequency has an outsized impact on perceptions of public safety.
- Nearly 8 in 10 adults report experiencing stress from the possibility of a mass shooting, and 1 in 3 say that fear prevents them from going to certain places or events, the advisory says.
- Half of U.S. teens worry about school shootings and have recently thought about what would happen if a person with a gun entered their school.
The fact that guns have become the leading cause of death among U.S. kids and adolescents adds particular urgency and could be a unifying force for change, Murthy said.
- "I think we have to now look at this as a kids issue, and if we understand it in that sense, my hope is that we can come together to protect our children, to protect the mental health and well-being of the country, and ultimately, I think that's within our hands to do."
Go deeper: Kids who survive shootings — and their families — face greater health burdens
