WASHINGTON—U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy today declared gun violence a public health crisis in an advisory to the nation, marking the first public health advisory on gun violence in U.S. history. The advisory calls for increased funding, research, and legislation to address gun violence nationwide.

Heritage Senior Legal Fellow and Second Amendment expert Amy Swearer responded to the advisory with a critical statement: "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."

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

She concluded by asserting, "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.