(USNewsBreak.com) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) regularly takes an opposing stance against the federal government. Now, he’s speaking out against the surgeon general’s office over its new public health advisory.
On Tuesday, June 25, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an official Advisory on Firearm Violence. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said it’s a “public health crisis in America that poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of our country.”
NEW: Today, for the first time in the history of our office, I am issuing a Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence. Firearm violence is a public health crisis in America that poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of our country. https://t.co/bNS7xDa96X 1/10 pic.twitter.com/1w43IMMpxA
— Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) June 25, 2024
He continued, citing a statistic that “a staggering 54% of adults” have reported becoming the victim of a firearm-related incident. Those include having fired a gun in self-defense, receiving injuries or threats from one, witnessing a shooting, or losing someone to a shooting. Murthy introduced strategies he believed would “help reduce the toll on” Americans.
The advisory called on the government to implement several measures, including requiring firearm storage and universal background checks for people purchasing guns. It also sought a ban on assault weapons — fully automatic weapons are banned in the US, semi-automatic weapons are not — and large-capacity magazines. Finally, Murthy asked lawmakers to “create safer conditions in public places.”
The next day, DeSantis shot back on X and asserted that the Surgeon General is trying to “violate” the Second Amendment by using public health as a pretext. Because of that, he said Florida “will not comply.” He went even further and said that the state would “always reject the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional power grabs.”
DeSantis has been a big proponent of gun rights, having signed legislation into law several months ago that allowed for permitless concealed carry.
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