The U.S. surgeon general has issued a 32-page advisory declaring gun violence an urgent public health crisis that necessitates a multi-pronged effort to reduce and prevent gun-related deaths and injuries.
"I've long believed this is a public health issue," Vivek Murphy, MD, said in an interview with The New York Times following the June 25 release of the advisory. "This issue has been politicized, has been polarized over time. But I think when we understand that this is a public health issue, we have the opportunity to take it out of the realm of politics and put it into the realm of public health."
The report covers gun violence's growing toll in the U.S. over the years. In 2020, gun violence surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death in American children and adolescents. The surgeon general's advisory calls for a public health-based approach to address the crisis, drawing on aspects from prior campaigns against smoking and traffic safety.
In addition to research investments on firearm violence Dr. Murphy called for community-based risk reduction and prevention strategies, which include health systems facilitating education on safe and secure firearm storage with their patients and employees. The report also calls for strengthening hospital and community partnerships to enhance prevention efforts.
Other recommendations from the surgeon general include universal background checks, banning assault weapons and treating guns like other consumer products regulated by federal agencies, such as pesticides or prescription drugs.
Leaders from 10 medical groups and organizations, including the American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Surgeons, and Michael Dowling, CEO of New York City-based Northwell Health, applauded the surgeon general for recognizing gun violence as a national crisis.
Over the past few years, a growing pack of prominent voices at hospitals and health systems across the country have begun to recognize and treat gun violence as a nonpolitical health issue. Since 2021, more than 600 healthcare professionals have engaged with the Gun Violence Prevention Learning Collaborative for Hospitals and Health Systems, an effort spearheaded by Mr. Dowling. More than 40% of participants in the collaborative have said they have started or expanded evidence-based prevention strategies at their organizations.