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NPR Online NewsMar 31
US Surgeon General Declares Gun Violence a Public Health Crisis
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Above: US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy speaks during a Senate hearing in 2023. Image copyright: Anna Moneymaker/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy on Tuesday declared gun violence a public health crisis due to a rising number of gun-related deaths and injuries.
This announcement comes after health officials, including four of Murthy's predecessors, called for similar steps to be taken and for firearm deaths to be viewed as a health issue rather than a political one. The National Rifle Association has campaigned against the move for years.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The US is engulfed in an epidemic of gun violence, which is inordinately putting children in physical peril and harming their mental health. If Republican lawmakers insist on blocking measures that could make the US safer, then the public health approach suggested by the surgeon general may be a workaround. Similar campaigns on other issues, including tobacco use, proved successful in reducing harm and eventually motivating Congress to act. Murthy made the right call.
Republican narrative
This declaration is nothing but another attempt by freedom-hating Democrats to violate law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights and seize their guns. If there's a problem with gun violence in the US, it's not because of a health crisis but it's a product of Democrats' lax crime policies and their allowing of drugs and criminals to cross the Southern border. This announcement should be ignored.
