Himself A Victim Of Guns, Trump Erases Vivek Murthy’s Gun Violence Advisory

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India-West News Desk
WASHINGTON, DC – Even in the face of a mounting gun violence epidemic, particularly among children, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s 2024 advisory declaring gun violence a public health crisis has been taken down by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The removal follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, directing the agency to comply with efforts to protect Second Amendment rights.

Murthy, who was a prominent voice in addressing public health issues, issued the advisory in June 2024, urging for increased research funding, enhanced mental health access, and measures such as secure gun storage to help mitigate the rising violence.

The removal comes amid alarming statistics, with firearms now the leading cause of death among children and teens in the U.S., accounting for an average of 45,738 deaths annually. Gun violence has reached crisis levels, prompting health experts and advocates, like those from the Giffords gun violence prevention group, to call for urgent action.

Gun violence prevention groups were quick to voice their dismay, with the former congresswoman Gaby Giffords, a victim of gun violence denouncing the removal of the advisory. The group noted that Murthy’s acknowledgment of gun violence as a public health crisis was a step forward in framing the issue within the broader context of public health and safety.

This is not the first action taken by the Trump administration that has angered firearm safety advocates. Earlier, Trump’s decision to shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention which had been established by the Biden administration in 2023. The office had been created to take a cross-agency public health approach to gun violence prevention, an effort now effectively dismantled by the new administration.

Amidst this political divide, it’s important to remember that President Trump himself has been personally impacted by gun violence. In 2016, Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was involved in a shooting incident that left him with severe injuries. This however, has not deterred the administration from rolling back measures aimed at addressing further tragedies.