The Department of Health and Human Services seemingly scrubbed an advisory on gun violence from its website.
A webpage created last June marked the first time the Office of the Surgeon General issued an advisory on guns. Then Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis. While the press release on the topic is still live on the HHS website, the advisory containing “firearm risk prevention strategies” and “mental health action and support” can no longer be found.
“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 read as of Tuesday.
The Washington Examiner reached out to HHS for comment.
This comes weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting Second Amendment Rights,” which instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to review and reverse any regulation the Biden White House issued to restrict guns. Bondi was due to issue a report within 30 days of the order but has passed the deadline twice after receiving an extension for Mar. 16.
Gun control advocates responded to the advisory online. Among them was the Newton Action Alliance, a group formed after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, where 26 people were killed.
“It’s clear the Trump Administration does not care that guns are the leading cause of death for American children & teens,” the group wrote X. The post included a link to the archived advisory.
“Gun violence is the leading cause of death among children in America, but HHS just removed a former surgeon general’s warning declaring gun violence a public health crisis to comply with the president’s executive order to ‘protect Second Amendment rights,’” anti-gun violence group Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts wrote.
“By removing this important public health advisory with lifesaving resources, President Trump has chosen to prioritize gun industry profits over protecting kids and families,” gun control advocacy group GIFFORDS executive director Emma Brown 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.”
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The nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive reported that gun deaths, excluding suicides, decreased for the third consecutive year in 2024. Teenage and child victims of gun violence totaled 5,151 last year, with 1,403 fatalities.
Mass shooting events, which pertain to gun violence involving at least four people, remain high. In 2021, there were a record 689 mass shooting events, with 2023 marking the second-highest year on record with 30 fewer instances. Last year, there was a slight decrease to 503.