The HHS internet web page that after featured the previous surgeon normal’s advisory on gun violence now reads “Web page Not Discovered.”
The Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS) has apparently eliminated a web page on its web site describing gun violence within the U.S. as a public well being disaster.
The department made that designation in June 2024, when former U.S. Surgeon Common Vivek Murthy acknowledged, “Firearm violence is an pressing public well being disaster that has led to lack of life, unimaginable ache, and profound grief for a lot too many Individuals.”
“U.S. Surgeon Common Dr. Vivek Murthy has issued a landmark Surgeon Common’s Advisory on Firearm Violence, declaring firearm violence in America to be a public well being disaster,” the website used to read. No less than 10 outstanding medical organizations wrote in help of Murthy’s advisory.
As of Tuesday, nevertheless, the HHS web page that included Murthy’s public well being disaster declaration seems to have been deleted.
The URL that after led to that advisory at present results in a “Web page Not Discovered” message. “The web page could have been moved, it now not exists, or the tackle could have been typed incorrectly,” the site states.
An archived model of the web page reveals that the web site URL is right. A search of the terms “guns” and “public health” at HHS.gov does lead customers to a PDF end result that reads “Firearm Violence: A Public Well being Disaster in America.” Nevertheless, upon clicking that hyperlink, the identical “Web page Not Discovered” message seems.
It’s possible that the division eliminated the web page following an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in early February, which referred to as on all govt department companies to evaluate Biden administration actions that “purport[ed] to advertise security however could have impinged on the Second Modification rights of law-abiding residents.”
A recent analysis of gun violence data reviewed by the Pew Research Center reveals that near “47,000 folks died of gun-related accidents in the USA” in 2023, the latest yr for which statistics from the Heart for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) can be found.
“Whereas the variety of gun deaths within the U.S. fell for the second consecutive yr, it remained among the many highest annual totals on file,” the report acknowledged.
Almost 4 in 10 gun-related deaths have been homicides, whereas slightly below 6 in 10 have been deemed dying by suicide. About 3 % have been killings by legislation enforcement, unintentional deaths or deaths because of “undetermined circumstances,” in response to the report.
For the previous few years, gun violence has been the main reason for dying for youths between the ages of 1 and 17 within the U.S.
“The US has by far the very best charge of kid and teenage firearm mortality amongst peer nations,” a report published in 2023 by KFF stated. “In no different equally giant, rich nation are firearms within the prime 4 causes of dying for kids and teenagers, not to mention the primary trigger.”
Organizations advocating for stricter gun legal guidelines within the U.S. criticized the HHS’s determination to take away Murthy’s advisory from the division’s web site.
“Gun violence is a public well being disaster and should be handled as such,” wrote the account for GIFFORDS on X. “As an alternative, the Trump administration is eradicating lifesaving assets from the Surgeon Common’s web site. Trump has made his priorities clear, and it’s NOT conserving our kids secure.”
“The Trump Administration simply eliminated the HHS report declaring gun violence a public well being disaster. Let’s be clear: Taking down a report gained’t change the truth that our nation has a gun murder charge 26x that of peer nations, or that weapons are the #1 killer of our children,” Everytown for Gun Safety wrote on its Bluesky account.
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