Florida ‘will not comply’ with US surgeon general’s gun violence advisory, DeSantis says

DeSantis has rebuked U.S. Surgeon General’s advice that declares firearm violence as a public-health crisis.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday that Florida “will comply” with U.S. Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General’s office, declared that gun violence was a public-health crisis.

Murthy is the top physician in the United States. He issued this advisory on Tuesday, as the U.S. struggles with the growing number of firearm-related deaths and injuries. He called for an integrated approach, similar to the responses to tobacco deaths and motor vehicle fatalities.

Murthy stated in a video that 54% U.S. adults have reported that they, or a member of their family, has experienced an incident involving a firearm. He said that firearm violence was the number one cause of death among American children and teenagers.

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Residents of New Tampa, a day before Murthy issued his advisory, crowded into the community center in New Tampa to express their concern about recent shootings, including a Friday incident on New Tampa Boulevard, which left two people dead.

Murthy suggested universal background checks, an assault weapon ban, increased federal funding for research on gun violence prevention, and tighter regulation of the gun industry.

The surgeon general is not able to enforce these recommendations. Congress would need to pass legislation if the surgeon general were to implement these recommendations nationwide.

DeSantis said that Florida will not “comply” with Murthy’s proposal, even though some state legislators may be considering it.

In a posting on X the governor stated Murthy was “attempting to violate Second Amendment through the public health bureaucracy’.”

He referred to the federal government’s reaction to the COVID-19 epidemic and said that “unelected bureaucrats have used the ‘public’ health as a pretext for depriving citizens of their right.”

When asked for more information about DeSantis, Jeremy Redfern said, “I think the governor’s position speaks for itself.”

The National Rifle Association also rejected the advisory.

In a statement released on X, Randy Kozuch said, “This is a continuation of the Biden Administration’s war against law-abiding firearm owners.”

He said that criminals are the main cause of America’s crime problem. The reluctance of President Biden and his many allies to prosecute and penalize criminals is the main cause.

Murthy stated that the effects of firearm violence go beyond those who have experienced it directly. He said that there are “wider waves of harm” to people who see the violence or live in communities affected by it frequently, or who read about it.

Murthy stated that “Firearm Violence is a Public Health Crisis.” “Our failure is a moral crise.”