US surgeon General wants warnings placed on guns

Murthy says violence demands public health approach

By: Eduardo Cuevas
and Jeanine Santucci
USA Today

..... The soaring number of children killed by firearms has created an "urgent public health crisis" worthy of the response the government took to prevent cigarette smoking or car accidents the nation's top doctor said in a first-of-its-kind announcement Tuesday. [06/25/2024]
..... In an advisory, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said gun violence demands a public health approach rather than the polarizing political response that has numbed Americans and public officials to enacting changes, as gun violence became the leading cause of death in children. Prior public health campaigns provide a playbook for addressing the uniquely American problem of gun violence that kills nearly 50,000 people annually, he said.
..... "I want people to know this is a profound public health crisis, but it is a solvable public health crisis," Murthy told USA Today. "As a nation, we are not powerless. We can do something about it."
..... Murthy's approach involves a range of responses, including warning labels on firearms, as with other consumer products, reinstating the ban on assault weapons and laws on safe gun storage tor educe the risk of homicides and suicides. he also emphasized the increased need for mental health resources for victims of gun violence, including trauma-informed health care and school-based services.
..... The U.S. has already seen 235 mass shootings in 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks incidents involving four or more victims. Homicides and suicides, which don't get as much coverage, drive the country's death toll.
..... Murthy's call for an immediate public health response comes after similar calls for intervention for the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association, which have long identified gun violence as a public health issue. But Murthy's role as the nation's top physician during two presidential administrations gives the declaration added weight.
..... Murthy has issued previous advisories for public health crises, including recent alerts about the danger of social media and the loneliness epidemic. During the Obama administration, Murpthy issued a crisis alert about e-cigarettes. Historically, surgeons general have issued warnings about pressing health issues. Murthy said he beehives this advisory can drive broader public awareness about the toll of gun violence in America.
..... "a public health approach is really fundamentally about ensuring that we are defining clearly a problem and its impact on health," he said, adding it requires using data to understand the extent of the problem and who is most affected.
..... Murthy's advisory draws from the centers for Disease Control and Prevention's response to violence prevention, which begins with monitoring through data and research, looking at risks and requiring widespread adoption.
..... The advisory highlights intervention in communities and schools and mental health support, as well as secure gun storage, background checks and effective gun removal policies. It also explicitly calls for banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use, along with restrictions on carrying loaded firearms in public spaces, concealed and open carry, and rules about using firearms in public.
.... The advisory calls for treating gun regulations like the U.S. does other consumer products, as with motor vehicle standards, pesticide regulations and Food and Drug Administration approval. Firearms do not have the same safety testing or safety features, including warning labels, as other products do.
..... Gun violence has steadily rise in recent years. In 2022, more than 48,000 people died by gun violence, according to the advisory. that's 16,000 more deaths than in 2010. firearm-related suicides have increased by 20%, which includes a "staggering increase" in such deaths among youth, the advisory noticed. Having guns increases the risk for all household members of dying by homicide and suicide, the advisory said. And keeping firearms unlocked also increases the risk of youth dying by suicide and accidents or suffering unintentional injuries.
..... In 2020, gun violence overtook car accidents as the leading cause of death among children. Firearm deaths among children and adolescents in the U.S. are six times more prevalent than in Canada and happen at more than 10 times the rate in Switzerland. In the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, the death rate by firearms is nearly 50 times lower than in the U.S.
..... "Gun violence has now become a kids; issue," he said. "In my mind, that elevates the urgency and importance of us addressing this public health crisis."
..... People of color are disparately affected by gun violence as they disproportionately live in poverty and in marginalized communities where they face an increase risk of firearm violence.
..... the spillover effects of gun violence are sweeping, and not just for the victims. People who witness a shooting or lost loved ones to gun violence are more likely to experience depression or anxiety. Victims' family members also face increased mental health issues. Children whose parents die by homicide or suicide are likelier to experience depression, heart disease or cancer, and these experiences are shown to impact them through life, at school and work.
..... Mass shootings, which make up a small percentage of U.S. gun deaths, have outsize mental health effects, causing people to worry about the risks of going to public places and events, the advisory said.
..... Murthy said he hopes the advisory will increase awareness and prompt health care systems and legislators to prioritize solutions.
.....In 1964, Luther Terry, the surgeon general under President Lyndon B, Johnson, issued an advisory that tobacco use was hazardous and caused cancer. At that time, Murthy said, cigarette smoking was "deeply bedded in the fabric of America."
..... Identifying the public health risks of smoking helped change the culture and make Americans safer. The same can be done with gun violence, Murthy said.

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