HHS drops surgeon general's advisory on gun violence
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The Trump administration has removed a 2024 surgeon general's advisory on the public health impacts of gun violence and a related webpage from the Health and Human Services website.
The big picture: Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States and account for an average of 45,738 annual deaths nationwide.
- But the 2024 advisory from then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy signaled the Biden administration would promote gun safety measures heading into the election, looking to draw a contrast with President Trump's opposition to gun restrictions.
State of play: A tab for information on firearm violence in America no longer exists on the Office of the Surgeon General's website. A link to the firearm violence webpage returns a "Page Not Found" message.
- An HHS spokesperson said the agency took down the information to comply with Trump's executive order on protecting Second Amendment rights.
- HHS did not elaborate on how the advisory violated the order.
Catch up quick: The 40-page document, still available on the Wayback Machine, outlined how gun violence affects physical and mental health and recommended public health strategies to prevent violence.
- It called for more mental health support for gun violence survivors, proper firearm storage, universal background checks and assault weapons bans.
- The advisory came about five years after Congress reached a deal to fund research on gun violence for the first time in more than two decades.
Where it stands: The webpage has been down since Thursday, gun violence prevention organization Giffords told Axios.
- President Trump during his first week of his second term eliminated the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which the Biden administration launched in 2023.
- Last month, Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to review all agency actions, rules and reports from the Biden administration's tenure "to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens."
What they're saying: "By removing this important public health advisory with lifesaving resources, President Trump has chosen to prioritize gun industry profits over protecting kids and families," Emma Brown, executive director of Giffords, said in a statement.
Go deeper: 1 in 15 US adults has experienced a mass shooting firsthand
