Local gun rights, gun control advocates react after surgeon general calls gun violence a public health crisis
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Some local gun rights and safety advocates in MidMissouri are reacting after the U.S surgeon general declared gun violence a public health crisis on Tuesday.
The declaration came after a string of shootings across America, including in Ohio, Alabama and Arkansas that left multiple people dead or injured. According to reports from the Associated Press, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said people should be able to go to public spaces without fearing their lives are at risk.
Vivek claimed children are worried about a shooting happening in their schools, according to CNN.
Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services list firearms as the leading cause of death for adolescents and children in 2022.
As part of the declaration, Vivek is asking the U.S. to ban automatic rifles, introduce universal background checks for purchasing guns, pass laws that restrict their use in public places and create consequences for those who don't store them safely.
Volunteer leader of the Missouri chapter of Moms Demand Action Kristin Bowen, a mother to two teenage boys, said she found Vivek's comments moving. Bowen said she found comfort in knowing Vivek is taking into account the fear some children may have about going to school, as well as parents sending their children to school.
She said Tuesday's comments leave her hopeful, and thinks Tuesday's declaration from the surgeon general separate the issue from being viewed as an issue that is political.
"I don't think this is an empty gesture, I think it comes with some support," Bowen said. He's recommending things in the remarks that he shared that we've been recommending for years but hopefully we'll be able to see them in a new light."
Meanwhile, President of Western Missouri Shooters Alliance Kevin Jamison said he finds Tuesday's declaration to be merely words and criticized some of the surgeon general's comments. Jamison said he believes mass shootings occur because the suspects are killers, not shooters.
"It's not accomplishing anything, it is noise," Jamison said. "They take guns into these places because they know they're going to get away with killing a number of people before the police arrive and that's sad but that's the reality... and until they stop spouting slogans and face reality, it's going to continue."
Jamison said he believes safely using guns is important, and works to teach people how to safely do so in his role with the Western Missouri Shooters Alliance. He said he isn't against the thought of change, but urges for more communication between politicians and gun owners.
"If they did something that respected the rights of gun owners yes, we're in favor of that," Jamison said. "It would be more effective if we had some cooperation...if they would simply listen to our ideas."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Missouri is the fifth-leading state in the U.S. for gun mortalities. Data shows Missouri has a death rate of 24.2 per 100,000 people. RAND lists Missouri tied at third for the average firearm injuries that leads to hospitalizations.
Alabama and Maryland tie Missouri for having an average rate of 16 firearm injuries that lead to hospitalizations. Louisiana is first with a rate of 24, while Tennessee sits at second with 18.
Bowen said she finds Tuesday's declarations to be important nationally and locally.
"We know that in states like ours where the gun safety laws have been stripped back to the bare minimum, we need help, so I welcome the help," Bowen said. "In the same way the folks in Washington are getting underway with an office of violence prevention...this statement yesterday encourages local communities like Columbia to do the same."
