HHS appears to delete Surgeon General gun violence advisory webpage

[Eugene]

Source: ABC News

The HHS said it is complying with an executive order from President Trump.

The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) appears to have taken down a webpage from the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) that included an advisory on gun violence.

In June 2024, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory declaring gun violence to be a public health crisis in America, calling for an evidence-based approach to public health change as well as a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use.

"Firearm violence is an urgent public health crisis that has led to loss of life, unimaginable pain, and profound grief for far too many Americans," Murthy said in a statement at the time.

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Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/hhs-appears-delete-surgeon-general-gun-violence-advisory/story?id=119887668

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Source: The Guardian

White House removes advisory defining gun violence as a public health issue

Abené Clayton
Mon 17 Mar 2025 23.38 GMT
Last modified on Mon 17 Mar 2025 23.41 GMT

The Trump administration has removed former surgeon general Vivek Murthy’s advisory on gun violence as a public health issue from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ website. This move was made to comply with Donald Trump’s executive order to protect second amendment rights, a White House official told the Guardian.

The “firearm violence in America” page, where the advisory had been posted, was filled with data and information about the ripple effects of shootings, the prevalence of firearm suicides and the number of American children and adolescents who have been shot and killed. Now, when someone reaches the site they will be met with a “page not found” message.

When it was originally released last summer, Murthy’s advisory was met with praise from violence prevention and research groups, and was lambasted by second amendment law centers and advocacy groups that argued the Biden administration was using public health as a cloak to push forward more gun control.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/trump-removes-gun-violence-public-health-advisory

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Axios: HHS drops surgeon general's advisory on gun violence

Axios - HHS drops surgeon general's advisory on gun violence

Maya Goldman
3 hours ago

The Trump administration has removed a 2024 surgeon general's advisory on the public health impacts of gun violence and a related webpage from the Health and Human Services website.

The big picture: Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States and account for an average of 45,738 annual deaths nationwide.

• But the 2024 advisory from then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy signaled the Biden administration would promote gun safety measures heading into the election, looking to draw a contrast with President Trump's opposition to gun restrictions.

State of play: A tab for information on firearm violence in America no longer exists on the Office of the Surgeon General's website. A link to the firearm violence webpage returns a "Page Not Found" message.

• An HHS spokesperson said the agency took down the information to comply with Trump's executive order on protecting Second Amendment rights.
• HHS did not elaborate on how the advisory violated the order.

Catch up quick: The 40-page document, https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/firearm-violence-advisory.pdf" target="_blank">still available on the Wayback Machine, outlined how gun violence affects physical and mental health and recommended public health strategies to prevent violence.

• It called for more mental health support for gun violence survivors, proper firearm storage, universal background checks and assault weapons bans.
• The advisory came about five years after Congress reached a deal to fund research on gun violence for the first time in more than two decades.

/snip

[IronLionZion]

2. Gun violence is just as good for your health as Measles and COVID