June 28, 2024
On June 25th, United States Surgeon General Vivek Murphy issued a 40-page advisory declaring gun violence a national public health crisis. The advisory provides data documenting the problem, describes the impact on communities, and offers policy recommendations for addressing it through a public health approach.
Included in the advisory is data 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 (Figure 1).
The Surgeon General’s goals are to increase national attention and prompt action on solutions. Surgeon General Murphy’s office had previously released advisories on social media safety for youth, the health risks of loneliness and the dangers of health misinformation.
The public health approach recommended in the advisory calls for increased research, more risk reduction and violence prevention programs, and greater mental health supports. The recommended measures would have to be enacted into legislation at the state or federal level before they take effect.
Massachusetts, which is rated as having some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, previously enacted some of the recommended policy solutions, such as “requiring safe and secure firearm storage” and a ban on “assault weapons and large capacity magazines for civilian use.”
Public health approaches were effective in reducing the prevalence of cigarette smoking and increasing motor vehicle safety. This new advisory points to public health as an important resource for curbing the increase nationally of gun violence and mass shooting tragedies.