BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis on Tuesday because of the fast-growing number of people being hurt and killed with guns.
It’s a problem nationwide and here at home. We’re only halfway through the 2024 year and already, 96 people died by gun in Jefferson County. The coroner has ruled 66 of them homicide deaths and 29 of them suicide deaths. One was ruled accidental.
Just last month, the Jefferson County Board of Health passed a resolution, citing gun violence as a public health problem and now the Surgeon General is declaring it a crisis nationwide.
“This is a societal problem,” says Dr. David Hicks, a health officer with the Jefferson County Department of Health. “It’s everyone’s problem that we have to figure out how to fix.”
The latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are from 2022 which show 48,204 total people died from firearm‑related injuries. 4,603 of those deaths were children. The report reads: “Across all firearm‑related deaths in 2022, more than half (56.1%) were from suicide, 40.8% were from homicide, and the remaining were from legal intervention, unintentional injuries, and injuries of unknown intent.”
That same year, in 2022, there’s a stark difference in Jefferson County. Out of the 265 deaths by gun shots, 186 (70.2%) were homicides and 77 (29%) were suicides.
“This impacts everybody,” says Dr. Hicks. “It could be a family member, loved one, co-worker, employee that are dealing with this… It certainly has been an emerging issue amongst young people.”
The U.S. Surgeon General says since 2020, firearm-related injury has been the leading cause of death for children and adolescents.
In Jefferson County, the results are the same. For those 10-19 years old, 73% of deaths in 2022 were caused by firearm and in 2023, it dropped to 69%.
“How we handle this, it’s a multi-tiered approach,” says Dr. Hicks. “The Health Department’s been doing something for a while now with a hospital-based violence intervention program and so we’re trying to break the cycle of retaliation by having credible messengers intervene people after they’ve got injured — they’re gunshot victims — and making sure they don’t go back into a cycle of retaliation.”
They also recently launched Project Childsafe with the sheriff’s office to promote safety by providing free gun locks and education.
But what can you do to help this crisis? Hicks says you should start in the home by making sure it’s safe and protected for all of those living inside. This could mean locking up any guns inside the home. He’s also encouraging you to have an open conversation with your children about gun safety.
A press release from HHS said the following could help with addressing the crisis:
- Critical research investments, such as: Improving data sources and data collection; Examining short-term and long-term outcomes of firearm violence; and Conducting implementation research to improve effectiveness of prevention strategies.
- Community risk reduction and education prevention strategies, such as: Implementing community violence interventions; Incorporating organizational violence prevention and emergency preparedness elements into safety programs; and Encouraging health systems to facilitate education on safe and secure storage.
- Firearm risk reduction strategies, such as: Requiring safe and secure firearm storage, including child access prevention laws; Implementing universal background checks and expanding purchaser licensing laws; Banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines for civilian use; Treating firearms like other consumer products, including requiring safety testing or safety features; Implementing effective firearm removal policies when individuals are a danger to themselves or others; and Creating safer conditions in public places related to firearm use and carry.
- Mental health action and support, such as: Increasing access to affordable, high quality mental health care and substance use treatment; and Building on investments to enhance safety measures and evidence-based violence prevention efforts in learning settings.
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