U.S. surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared gun violence in the country as a public health crisis.
Murthy commented amid yet another round of mass shooting incidents reported from different corners of the country.
“People are scared in many communities I visit around the country to do normal things like go to school or the grocery store or work and they’re worried about the risk to their life,” Murthy said in an interview with “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday.
To bring down gun deaths, Murthy called on the U.S. to ban automatic rifles, introduce universal background checks for purchasing guns, regulate the industry, pass laws that would restrict their use in public spaces and penalise people who fail to safely store their weapons.
The suggestions could not be implemented across the USA unless a legislation is passed by the Congress.
Murthy said there is “broad agreement” that gun violence is a problem, citing a poll last year that found most Americans worry at least sometimes that a loved one might be injured by a firearm.
According to reports, America recorded 48,000 deaths due to gun injuries in 2022.
Guns have been a leading cause of death among children and younger Americans since 2020.
And the death rate from guns is 11.4 times higher in the US, compared to 28 other high-income countries, making the issue a uniquely American problem, reported BBC.