WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis in an advisory to the nation—the first public health advisory on gun violence in our nation’s history. The advisory calls for more funding, research, and laws to address gun violence across the country.  

Heritage Senior Legal Fellow and Second Amendment expert Amy Swearer made the following statement in response to today’s unprecedented advisory:  

“Reframing gun violence as a public health issue is nothing more than a public relations stunt. It adds nothing to public policy conversations and provides zero new insight into the problem. Anti-Second Amendment activists simply hope that this new declaration makes it easier for Americans to buy into the same unpopular, ineffective, and unconstitutional gun control policies that they have pushed for decades. 

“This is a cynical repackaging of radical gun control restrictions under a different label. They’d rather pathologize firearms than address broader underlying issues.  

“Americans should see right through this half-baked advisory. The Second Amendment’s protections don’t change simply because the government framed the issue of gun violence as a public health crisis.”  

BACKGROUND: 
Amy Swearer’s congressional testimony on gun violence before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary may be read here or watched here.