U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence this week. The Advisory provides data that support the theory that “firearm violence is a public health crisis in America that poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of our country” and suggests ways to reduce “firearm-related injury and death in America,” e.g. requiring safe and secure firearm storage, implementing universal background checks.
Data highlighted in the Advisory include: “Since 2020, firearm‑related injury has been the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents (ages 1–19)” and “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.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence by announcing that his state “will not comply” with what he described as an attempt to “violate the Second Amendment.” DeSantis called Murthy’s Advisory an “unconstitutional power-grab” — rhetoric that is hard to justify as the Advisory is not legislation, but rather a study presenting information and recommendations.
During COVID, unelected bureaucrats used “public health” as a pretext to deprive citizens of their rights– and I signed legislation to protect Floridians from government overreach.
Now, Biden’s Surgeon General is attempting to violate the Second Amendment through the “public… https://t.co/kjcMotzzBD
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 26, 2024
Note: Past Surgeon General advisories include the 1964 landmark report which linked smoking cigarettes with dangerous health effects including lung cancer and heart disease.
That famous “Smoking and Health” Advisory, issued by Surgeon General Luther Terry (a longtime smoker), did not call for a cigarette ban but provided data about the health risks associated with smoking. Over the years, the U.S. has seen a decline “in the prevalence of cigarette smoking among U.S. adults, from 42% in 1964 to 11.5% in 2021.”
[NOTE: The purpose of such advisories is to provide data to citizens and recommend actions that might be taken up by legislatures, but the recommendations aren’t themselves enforceable.]
Surgeon General Terry was met with strong opposition from the powerful tobacco industry, resembling the pushback Murthy is getting from the gun industry and politicians like DeSantis who are endorsed by gun-rights organizations including the NRA. Note: In 2023, DeSantis signed a law which allows residents to carry a concealed loaded weapon without a permit.