Surgeon General Declares Gun Violence a Public Health Crisis

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory on Tuesday declaring firearm violence in America to be a public health crisis.

Key Quotes: Murthy’s advisory concludes, “The increasing number of children and adolescents dying from firearm‑related injuries and the reverberating mental health impacts on society make firearm violence an urgent public health crisis in America.” On X, Murthy highlighted “the collective toll of firearm violence on the mental health of our nation,” noting that “nearly 6 in 10 adults worry about a loved one being the victim of firearm violence” and “54% of adults report that they or a family member have experienced a firearm-related incident (been personally threatened with or injured by a firearm, lost a family member, witnessed a shooting, or shot a firearm in self-defense).”

For Context: Murthy has previously used his position to call attention to unconventional health issues, including by declaring a public health epidemic of loneliness in 2023 and more recently calling on Congress to require health warning labels on social media apps. 

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common in large mainstream media outlets like Fox News (Right bias) and NBC News (Lean Left bias) but less common elsewhere, particularly among smaller right-rated outlets, which generally did not cover the story by Tuesday morning. While some news articles were straightforward, relying simply on Murthy’s statements, some articles from left-rated outlets added context about the politics of gun regulations; The Washington Post (Lean Left bias), for instance, noted that “The surgeon general’s advisory also met with criticism from the NRA.”