HHS appears to delete Surgeon General gun violence advisory webpage

Yahoo

18-03-2025

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.
MORE: About 11,600 people have died in US gun violence so far in 2024
The OSG issued a press release at the time showing that at least 10 national medical organizations -- including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, American Public Health Association and the YWCA -- wrote statements in support of the advisory.
However, the webpage where the advisory existed currently displays a "Page Not Found" message.
"We're sorry, but there is no www.hhs.gov page that matches your entry. Possible reasons: The page may have been moved, it no longer exists, or the address may have been typed incorrectly," the website states, as of Monday.
The White House did not immediately reply to ABC News' request for comment.
In a statement to ABC News, the HHS said that the department "and the Office of the Surgeon General are complying with President Trump's Executive Order on Protecting Second Amendment Rights."
Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order, directing the Attorney General to review "[a]ll Presidential and agencies' actions from January 2021 through January 2025 that purport to promote safety but may have impinged on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens."
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously stated he believes in the Second Amendment but that he wants to determine the cause of mass shootings.
MORE: Gun violence still a big issue despite flurry of election topics, advocates say
In a 2023 live stream on X with Elon Musk, Kennedy falsely claimed there is "tremendous circumstantial evidence" that people using antidepressants were more likely to commit school shootings. Experts previously told ABC News there is no evidence to suggest that patients with mental health disorders, or those who are on medications for disorders, are more likely to be violent.
Firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death in the U.S. among kids and teens. Gun-related suicides have risen among all age groups from 2012 to 2022; the greatest rise has been among 10–14-year-olds, according to Murhty's advisory.
Gun violence prevention programs, such as GIFFORDS -- which was founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords -- criticized the Trump administration for the removal of the advisory.
"By removing this important public health advisory with lifesaving resources, President Trump has chosen to prioritize gun industry profits over protecting kids and families," Emma Brown, executive director of GIFFORDS, said in a statement. "Guns have been the number one killer of American children and adolescents since 2020, and non-partisan health care experts have understood gun violence as a public health crisis for years."
ABC News' Medical Unit's Dr. Jade Cobern contributed to this report.
HHS appears to delete Surgeon General gun violence advisory webpage originally appeared on abcnews.go.com