U.S. Surgeon General declares firearm violence a public health crisis in landmark announcement

In a landmark announcement, the U.S. Surgeon General declared firearm violence a public health crisis in the U.S. on Tuesday.

Dr. Vivek Murthy warned in the advisory that gun violence poses a “serious threat to the health and well-being of our country,” that has not just a serious physical toll, but mental as well.

It marks the first time the government's leading public health body has honed in on guns.

“As a doctor I’ve seen the consequences of firearm violence up close in the lives of the patients I’ve cared for over the years. These are moms and dads, sons and daughters, all of whom were robbed of their physical and mental health by senseless acts of violence," he said in a video Tuesday.

The rate of firearm related deaths reached a near three-decade high in 2021 — driven by spikes in gun homicides and firearm suicides, according to the 40-page advisory.