Is Gun Violence a Public Health Issue?

In the wake of the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, questions about how to prevent gun violence are resurfacing among politicians, citizens, and public health officials. For years former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called gun deaths a public health crisis. At Spotlight Health in 2017, shortly after a shooting at a Washington baseball field that critically injured Congressman Steve Scalise, Murthy said “Whenever you have large numbers of people who are dying for preventable reasons, that constitutes a public health crisis.” Over 100,000 people are shot every year in the US, and nearly 32,000 of them die. Given the statistics, Murthy thinks its an unruly epidemic that needs solutions now. Murthy speaks with Judy Woodruff, managing editor of the “PBS Newshour.”Read more about the connection between gun violence and public health.

• Why Can’t the US Treat Gun Violence as Public Health Problem?, The Atlantic
• Will a signal from the top mean more gun violence research?, CNN
• Trump Fires Surgeon General Who Called Gun Violence a Public Health Issue, Slate
• Pulse Check: The Surgeon General isn’t afraid to speak out on guns, Politico

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