Perspectives

Firearm Shootings: A Serious Public Health Issue

Authors: Steven Lippmann, MD

Abstract

In June 2024, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, declared gun violence to be a public health crisis.1 He issued a renewed warning about the impact of firearm shootings. He wants to turn this matter more toward a medical issue rather than a personal rights political battle. Murthy stresses a trend among physicians to consider shootings a preventive medicine focus. He reported that since 2020, firearm-induced injuries are the number one cause of child death in this country.1

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References

1. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, Firearm violence: a public health crisis in America. The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory 2024. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/firearm-violence-advisory.pdf. Published 2024. Accessed November 16, 2024.