US Surgeon General Declares Firearm Violence a Public Health Crisis

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued a landmark Advisory declaring firearm violence in America to be a public health crisis, specifically noting its impact on children and adolescents.

The Advisory points out that since 2020, firearm‑related injury has been the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents (ages 1–19), surpassing motor vehicle crashes, cancer, and drug overdose and poisoning. In 2022, 48,204 total people died from firearm‑related injuries, including suicides, homicides, and unintentional deaths. This is over 8,000 more lives lost than in 2019 and over 16,000 more lives lost than in 2010.

A recent nationally representative survey, the Surgeon General points out, found that the majority of U.S. adults or their family members (54%) have experienced a firearm-related incident.  Among all respondents, 21% have personally been threatened with a firearm, 19% have a family member who was killed by a firearm (including by suicide), 17% have witnessed someone being shot, 4% have shot a firearm in self-defense, and 4% have been injured by a firearm.

Since 2013, just months after the tragedy in Sandy Hook Elementary School took 26 lives in a mass shooting, the locally-based organization Sandy Hook Promise has championed a holistic approach toward ending gun violence that begins with public health — combining community-based programs, comprehensive research, and nonpartisan policy to keep children safe.

Sandy Hook Promise indicated the organization is “encouraged by (the) action from the Surgeon General and hopes that it deepens the public’s understanding of the gun violence epidemic, and the necessary solutions to address the problem,” noting that it comes “on the second anniversary of President Biden signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) into law, the most significant gun safety legislation passed in decades.”

“Two years since the most important gun safety legislation passed in our country, this Advisory is a reminder that the crisis demands a proactive, prevention-first approach to safeguard the wellbeing of everyone, and especially young people,” said Mark Barden, co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

“We are encouraged by the Surgeon General’s action today and are hopeful that it will encourage more elected officials to understand the importance of addressing gun violence through the lens of public health. When we invest in nonpartisan, research-informed solutions, we will create a safer future for all children,” Barden said.

The report brought this comment from Connecticut U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, who has been among the leaders in Congress in advocating for stronger gun safety legislation:  “Surgeon General Advisories have the rare ability to cut through the political noise and help us understand the biggest health crises we face as a nation. I’m grateful to see Surgeon General Vivek Murthy use the power and prestige of his office to help wake this country up to the trauma we are putting our kids and families through every day this epidemic continues.”

Murphy added: “This advisory is recognition of what those of us in the gun violence prevention movement know to be true: the best way to stop gun deaths is by passing universal background checks and an assault weapons ban – two things Congress could do tomorrow. I’m also glad to see Surgeon General Murthy acknowledge the important role that community violence intervention programs and common-sense measures like safe storage laws can play in keeping our communities safe.”

The Surgeon General Advisory also points to data indicating that nearly 6 in 10 U.S. adults say that they worry “sometimes,” “almost every day,” or “every day,” about a loved one being a victim of firearm violence.