CNN —
Gun violence in the United States is an urgent public health crisis that requires a “collective national effort” to stop it, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said in new recommendations released Tuesday.
This is the first time that a publication from the Surgeon General's Office has focused on firearm violence and its “deep impact” on victims, communities, and mental health. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Surgeon General recommendations are typically used to call attention to significant public health challenges. Recommendations are typically shorter than Surgeon General reports, such as the well-known 1964 report on the dangers of smoking, which includes a comprehensive scientific review document.
Tuesday's recommendations detail just how devastating gun violence is in the United States and how public health strategies can help.
Preliminary data shows that more than 48,000 people will die from firearm-related injuries in the United States in 2022 alone, a figure that includes homicides, suicides and unintentional deaths.
According to the advisory, firearm-related death rates in the United States have been rising, reaching a 30-year high in 2021. Since then, data has shown a decline in the number of firearm-related homicides, but the number of firearm-related suicides has remained roughly stable, the advisory said.
Mass shootings are still rare, accounting for only about 1 percent of gun deaths, but the number of mass shootings is on the rise, according to the recommendations.
A KFF poll from last April also shows that gun violence is all too common in American life. More than half of adults living in the U.S. report that they or a family member have experienced a firearm-related incident. One in five adults say they have been personally threatened with a gun, and nearly the same number say a family member has been killed with a gun. This last figure includes people who have used a gun to commit suicide.
According to the Surgeon General's advisory, people of color are disproportionately affected by gun violence: Black people had the highest firearm-related homicide rate of all age groups in 2022.
That same year, black children and youth accounted for half of all gun deaths, despite making up just 14% of the population, the recommendations state. Violence is more than just a direct physical threat; it can also threaten the well-being of entire communities, increasing stress levels and mental health problems.
Research shows that guns are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 19 in the United States.
In general, gun violence death rates are by far the highest among comparable countries: the United States has 36.4 deaths per million people aged 1 to 19, compared with 6.2 per million in Canada, 1.6 per million in Australia, and 0.5 per million in the United Kingdom.
An analysis of unintentional firearm deaths among children and young people found that 56% of these incidents occurred in the child's home. Part of the problem is how guns are stored: Of incidents with known details, 74% of guns were stored loaded and 76% were stored unlocked. Guns were most commonly found in sleeping areas, such as on nightstands, under pillows or mattresses, or on the bed.
In addition to the physical problems such violence can cause, gun violence can also have a negative impact on mental health, the advisory states. Fear of gun violence is particularly common among children, who often worry about encountering such violence at school, the advisory states.
Public health leaders must address the country's high suicide rates: More than half of all gun deaths in 2022, 56%, were by suicide, according to the recommendations.
Unlike homicides, white people had the highest firearm suicide rates among adults over age 45. Among young people, people who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native had the highest firearm suicide rates.
The suicide rate for male veterans was 62.4% higher than the suicide rate for non-veteran men in 2021. The suicide rate for female veterans was 281.1% higher than non-veteran women.
The recommendations say more funding is needed for firearms research to understand how to reduce and prevent gun violence in the United States, and investments must be directed toward better data collection and prevention strategies. The recommendations urge communities and health care systems to support people who are particularly vulnerable to this type of violence.
The recommendations also call for stronger gun regulations, including requirements for safe and secure storage of firearms, a ban on assault weapons, universal background checks, and effective firearm confiscation policies. They also say firearms should be treated like other regulated consumer products, such as automobiles or pesticides.
“There are no federal standards or regulations regarding the safety of firearms manufactured in the United States,” the advisory states. “Firearms manufactured and sold in the United States may not have been safety tested and may not include safety features such as warning labels regarding associated risks or approved-use technology for access to the firearm ('smart' firearm technology). Treating firearms as consumer products may result in modifications that could make them safer.”
This is not the first recommendation issued by Mursi. In 2021, he detailed the surge in mental health issues people are facing, and in another he outlined how Americans should address the surge in health misinformation. Last year, Mursi released another recommendation on the impact of social media on young people's mental health.
The recommendations say a public health approach can turn the tide on gun violence, just as it has on tobacco-related diseases and motor vehicle accidents.
“It is up to us to address this generational challenge with the urgency and clarity that is now required,” the advisory states. “The safety and well-being of our children and future generations are at stake.”
