US Surgeon General's Declaration on Gun Violence a Historic Milestone, Testament to Physician Advocacy June 27, 2024 Advocacy, Public Health, SFMMS 0 On June 25, 2024, the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared gun violence in America to be a public health crisis. Firearms have become the leading cause of death for children. Nearly 43,000 people were killed by guns in 2023. The majority of these deaths were suicides. In 2018, SFMMS Past-President John Maa published a Perspective in the New England Journal of Medicine calling for a first US Surgeon General’s Report on firearm injuries. Similar to the seminal Surgeon General report on smoking in 1964, this report could lead to a national reassessment of firearm safety and reduction in firearm mortality and morbidity. In addition to this important perspective, SFMMS has contributed a body of CMA resolutions concerning firearms that have become CMA policy over the years. Our adopted resolutions include: standardized gun education, public funding for gun violence research, opposition to censorship of physician discussion of firearm risk, counseling patients on the risk of firearms in the home, regulation and taxation of ammunition, and reducing suicide by requiring safe storage of firearms. A resolution SFMMS coauthored by SFMMS leaders with the San Mateo County Medical Association (SMCMA) in 2022 called for a Surgeon General’s report on firearm violence prevention, and was reaffirmed by the CMA of existing policy. Once this was established, SFMMS and SMCMA asked the CMA to formally ask the federal government for a first US Surgeon General’s Report on gun violence. CMA President Donaldo Hernandez sent a letter to the US Surgeon General requesting this action in April 2023. While a declaration of a public health crisis and the issuance of a Surgeon General's advisory does not carry the full weight of a Surgeon General’s Report, it does represent a major step forward on an important journey for our nation. And this advocacy is emblematic of the influence that SFMMS can have in our community, California, and our nation. The central next steps will be an annual report by the Surgeon General on Capitol Hill about the magnitude of firearm injuries in America, followed by Congressional action to promote public safety. Comments are closed.
