The U.S. surgeon general declared firearm violence in America to be a public health crisis.

The report said more than half of adults or their family members have been impacted by incidents involving guns. In 2022, more than half of the gun-related deaths were self-inflicted. About 41% were homicides, and the rest were attributed to legal intervention, intentional injuries and injuries of unknown intent.

The surgeon general shared potential public health strategies to help address gun violence. He wants more money to be dedicated to research on firearms and an increase in gun regulations, such as a ban on assault weapons and universal background checks.

Not everyone thinks declaring gun violence as a public health crisis will solve the problem.

President and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Chairman of Project Childsafe Joseph Bartozzi said he believes the surgeon general is turning a serious topic into a political statement.

He said criminal violence using a firearm illegally is what needs to be fixed.

“If behavior was based upon what laws were passed, there wouldn't be any violence or criminal activity in this country. But that's not how it works. We have to do a better job in the social community and the culture of the community. But blaming it on guns or gun owners, law-abiding gun owners, is certainly not helpful to the dialogue, and is counterproductive to efforts to try and to bring about a better society of everybody,” Bartozzi said.

He thinks the firearm industry treats gun safety and secure storage in a sincere manner, focusing on education.

Bartozzi said there are many lock options available that can go a long way in keeping firearms out of the hands of children and those who can’t be trusted around them.