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U.S. Surgeon General Says Gun Violence Is a Public Health Crisis

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By Rob Schofiled/NC Newsline, AZ Mirror

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently issued a national health crisis advisory to the American public that was, according to many experts, long overdue.

The subject: gun violence.

As the advisory spells out in grim detail, firearm violence has been on a steady and destructive rise across the U.S. for the last several years and has reached the point at which it is “now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents.”

The advisory also points out that the impact of gun violence extends “beyond death and injury.” It notes that the gun violence has produced “layers of cascading harm for youth, families, communities, and other populations” and that this includes “the detrimental impact that this rise has had on the mental wellbeing on the broader public.”

“With nearly 6 in 10 U.S. adults worrying ‘sometimes,’ ‘almost every day,’ or ‘every day,’ about a loved one being a victim of firearm violence,” the release accompanying the report notes, “the effects of the public health crisis extend well beyond physical health – it has led to a collective trauma across society that warrants heightened attention.”

Not surprisingly, Murthy’s advisory provoked widely varying responses. AP News reported that while many healthcare professionals lauded the advisory, the National Rifle Association attacked it.

A statement from the President of the American Academy of Family Physicians observed that “Family physicians have long understood, and have seen first hand, the devastating impact firearm violence has on our patients and the communities we serve.”

The president of the NRA, however, decried the announcement as “an extension of the Biden Administration’s war on law-abiding gun owners.”

Murthy’s announcement will not have any immediate, on-the-ground impact, but it’s hoped that it could open the door to more public health research on the subject — much in the same way that Surgeon General initiatives once paved the way for a stronger national response to cigarette smoking.

As the advisory conclusion states:

“A public health approach can guide our strategy and actions, as it has done in the past with successful efforts to address tobacco-related disease and motor vehicle crashes. It is up to us to take on this generational challenge with the urgency and clarity the moment demands. The safety and well-being of our children and future generations are at stake.”

Arizona law says, “Persons lawfully in possession or control of controlled substances” can possess a gun. However, since marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, it is illegal to possess marijuana and a firearm at the same time.


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Arizona legalized marijuana for recreational use in November 2020. The law allows adults aged 21+ to purchase, possess and use cannabis. State-licensed cannabis dispensaries began selling recreational marijuana in early 2021. There are over 150 dispensaries in Arizona — a majority of them are in populous areas such as Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.   


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