SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico’s governor is applauding the U.S. Surgeon General for declaring gun violence as a national public health crisis.
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy made the declaration this week, citing the statistic that over 48,000 people died from gun injuries in 2022. That number comes from provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – homicides account for roughly 40% of those deaths and suicides account for about 56%.
In New Mexico, guns have been involved in over 3,200 homicides since 1980, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data shows. And the state’s governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, has been working to address the issue by supporting legislation and by issuing a public health order in an attempt to limit guns in some areas.
In response to the latest declaration by the U.S. surgeon general, the governor issued the following statement:
“The surgeon general’s declaration of a public health crisis to confront the horrifying scourge of gun violence in the United States reflects the urgency of the moment, and I thank him for making public safety a top national priority.
General Murthy’s declaration will help build even more support for keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, children, and individuals with serious mental health issues. It also contains valuable recommendations for addressing the severe physical and psychological trauma inflicted on gun violence survivors, their family members and community members at-large.
The surgeon general’s call to confront gun violence head-on resonates deeply in New Mexico, where I declared a state-level public health emergency stemming from gun violence in September 2023. Since that time, law enforcement authorities in Bernalillo County have made 10,000 arrests and seized 846 illegal firearms under my order.
Convicted felons, who are prohibited by both state and federal law from possessing firearms, are a key driver of this violence. That’s why I’ve called a special session to address public safety in July. I implore lawmakers to enhance the criminal penalties for felons who continue to possess guns in our state. New Mexicans are demanding accountability on this front, and we intend to deliver it.
As the surgeon general said today, ‘It is up to us to take on this generational challenge with the urgency and clarity the moment demands.’ In New Mexico, we will answer this call resolutely, and work as hard as possible to eradicate the scourge of gun violence.”
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham
