This is the second of three articles that highlights the flaws of the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence.
On June 25th, 2024, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared firearm violence to be a public health crisis through a published advisory. I reviewed the advisory and have found it to be extremely partisan to the point I can confidently declare it as disinformation. The Surgeon General primarily cites partisan and bias sources and serves as a mouthpiece for progressive figures. It is important to note that he is a political appointee.
For the foreseeable future, it is likely many state governments will cite this advisory in legislations and lawsuits. These are likely the same governments that legalized marijuana when past Surgeon Generals published warnings against it. There is a word for this. Hypocrisy!
Use of False Data to Monger Fear
The Surgeon General used unreliable data from Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) to spread disinformation and monger public fear to further gun-control agendas. He states 4% have been injured by a firearm, the true percentage is closer to 1.7%.
Methodology for Calculating 1.7% Rate
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) National Inpatient Sample (NIS), 76,127 non-fatal firearm injuries per year, a source significantly more dependable than Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) related to non-fatal injuries. NIS contains data from hospitals that provide service to 98% of the US population.[1] 76,127 injuries out of 4.5 million added to the population yearly yields 1.7%.
76,127 non-fatal firearm injuries per year
Newborn: ~ 3.6million per year
Total Migration: ~ 1.5million per year
Total: ~ 5.1million per year
Adjusted Total: ~ 4.5million per year *1.7% injured by a firearm (total)
76,127 ÷ 4.5million = 1.7%
*Adjusted for explainable and unexplainable population attrition. Newborn numbers are an approximate and migration numbers are an estimate. Migration includes legal and illegal immigrants
CDC Cannot be Trusted
KFF and the Office of the Surgeon General are not the only major organizations in the health industry with clout that have been publishing false and unreliable data related to firearm violence. CDC’s datapoint of 110,968 injuries per year is extrapolated from surveying less than 2% of all hospitals in the US and is 46% higher than AHRQ’s datapoint. Does CDC’s methodology and datapoint seem suspect? You would be correct in saying yes because extrapolating data from a 2% sample is scientifically immoral and significantly inferior to interpolating data from a 98% sample.
Over the years, CDC has become increasingly partisan and politized. Mandy Cohen is the current Director of CDC. Along with Vivek Murthy, the current Surgeon General, she is one of the original founders of Doctors for America, which started as Doctors for Obama. Doctors for America has advocated for gun-control and ban on modern semi-automatic rifles. CDC is a part of US Health and Human Services which is headed by the Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy.
People like Murthy and Cohen are placed in these positions through political nepotism to reinforce progressive gun-control rhetoric and spread mis/dis-information through their organizations as “official” to be weaponized (cited) by progressive elites and state governments for campaigns, legislations, and lawsuits. This is how cultural warfare is waged stemming from the highest of levels. If you ever wondered why so many do not want CDC to be funded to research gun violence, this is why. In reality, it would become federally funded to do the bidding of gun-control advocate organizations.
it will be to federally fund gun-control studies.
If you ever wondered why so many do not trust CDC to be funded to study gun violence, this is why. In reality, it will be to federally fund gun-control studies.
Misuse of Federal Funds
The Office of the Surgeon General is using federal funds to reinforce gun-control organizations. The advisory published six “Firearm Risk Reduction Prevention Strategies” that mirror the rhetoric of Everytown for Gun Safety. Keep in mind he found Doctors for America, an organization that is actively advocating for gun-control. It’s no coincidence that Vivek Murthy is the current Surgeon General.
Vivek Murthy was the 19th Surgeon General in the Obama Administration. He is currently the 21st Surgeon in the Biden Administration.
The Office of the Surgeon General is using federal funds to reinforce gun-control organizations.
Firearm Risk Reduction Prevention Strategies
|
Everytown For Gun Safety |
Office of Surgeon General |
|
Require Gun Storage Laws |
Require safe and secure firearm storage, including child access prevention laws. |
|
Background Checks on All Gun Sales |
Implement universal background checks and expand purchaser licensing laws. |
|
Extreme Risk Laws |
Implement effective firearm removal policies. (Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs)) |
|
Prohibit Assault Weapons Prohibit High-Capacity Magazines |
Ban assault weapons and large‑capacity magazines for civilian use. |
|
Prohibit Guns in Sensitive Areas |
Create safer conditions in public places related to firearm use and carry, |
|
Hold the Gun Industry Accountable |
Treat firearms like other consumer products. |
Everytown for Gun Safety is founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg and is the most powerful gun-control organization in the United States.
[1] Schnippel K, Burd-Sharps S, Miller TR, Lawrence BA, Swedler DI. Nonfatal Firearm Injuries by Intent in the United States: 2016-2018 Hospital Discharge Records from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. West J Emerg Med. 2021 May 21;22(3):462-470. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2021.3.51925. PMID: 34125015; PMCID: PMC8203029.
