In a new advisory released Tuesday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said gun violence in the country is a serious public health crisis that requires the “collective commitment of the nation” to end it, CNN reports.
It is the first publication from the Surgeon General’s Office to specifically address gun violence and its “serious consequences” on victims, communities, and mental health.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says the surgeon general’s advice is typically used to highlight important public health issues.
The advice released Tuesday highlights the terrible impact of gun violence in the United States and provides insights into how public health initiatives can help.
Provisional data shows that more than 48,000 US citizens lost their lives as a result of gun-related injuries in 2022 alone. Homicides, suicides and accidental deaths were all included in that total. The recommendation says the number of gun-related deaths in the US is on the rise and will peak in 2021 at the highest in three decades, CNN reported.
Since then, gun-related homicides have declined, but the number of gun-related suicides has remained relatively stable, according to the advisory. The alert notes that while mass shootings are still uncommon — they account for only 1 percent of gun deaths — the frequency of these incidents is increasing.
The surgeon general’s advisory emphasizes how Black people are “disproportionately affected” by gun violence, CNN reports.
The recommendation states that firearm violence can have a negative impact on mental health in addition to physical problems.
According to the advisory, young people are particularly afraid of gun violence, with many of them believing that such violence will occur at their school. It says that in order to understand how to reduce and prevent gun violence in the US, additional funding is needed for gun research. Investments should be made focusing on collecting data and improving preventive strategies, reports CNN.
The guidelines urge healthcare providers and communities to take proactive steps to help people most at risk of this type of violence.
“There are no federal standards or regulations regarding the safety of firearms produced in the United States,” the advisory states.
There have been a number of mass shootings in the US over the past few weeks, with at least 21 other mass shootings recorded by the Gun Violence Archive since last Friday. The Gun Violence Archive considers a mass shooting to be an incident in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter, CNN reports.
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