The Trump administration has scrubbed an advisory on gun violence from the official website of the Department of Health and Human Services. The vital health warning was issued in 2024 by then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and the decision to bury it comes just as the United States experienced its 50th mass shooting of the calendar year so far.

“By removing this important public health advisory with lifesaving resources, President Trump has chosen to prioritize gun industry profits over protecting kids and families,” Emma Brown, executive director of the gun violence prevention group GIFFORDS, said in a release.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the most recent mass shooting occurred on March 15. Four people were shot in that incident in Shreveport, Louisiana—including two people who died. The archive has catalogued 2,899 gun deaths so far in 2025. Of those, 246 were children ages 17 and under.

In 2024, there were 503 mass shootings, with 16,725 gun deaths total.

Unsurprisingly, the move seems tailored to appease the rabid gun lobby. 

“HHS and the Office of the Surgeon General are complying with President Trump’s Executive Order on Protecting Second Amendment Rights,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told CNN when asked about the decision to purge the advisory.

Trump’s executive order, released Feb. 7, instructs the federal government to assess Biden administration actions and policies that would “infringe” on Second Amendment protections.

But the advisory in question does not call for any rights to be curtailed, despite the administration’s rhetoric.

Noting the pervasiveness of gun violence in the country, the advisory lays out a plan to reduce gun violence by treating it as a public health issue.

“All Americans deserve to live their lives free from firearm violence, as well as from the fear and devastation that it brings,” Murthy said in a statement when the document was first released.

Removing the advisory is in line with the goals of the far-right Project 2025, the conservative project that laid out a roadmap for many of the Trump administration’s actions. The plan called for rolling back gun safety actions taken under former President Joe Biden, which Trump falsely characterized as an “attack on gun owners and manufacturers” as he campaigned for the presidency.

Since he entered politics, Trump has benefitted from the National Rifle Association’s financial and moral support, even as the fanatical gun rights group has been exposed for its corruption in a series of scandals. The NRA endorsed Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024—and in exchange, Trump has steadfastly opposed gun safety measures while in office.

By contrast, Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first federal gun-related legislation to go into effect in nearly 30 years. The bill provided incentives for states to institute “red flag” laws preventing gun ownership by people deemed a threat to themselves or others, and expanded background checks for people between age 18 and 21.

The public regularly show majority support for gun safety regulation and gun violence prevention efforts. In Civiqs polling on the issue, 50% of respondents said they favor gun control laws as of March 17. That sentiment has been reflected by a plurality or majority for nearly 10 years of polling.

Similarly, in an April 2023 KFF poll, a total of 58% of adults said they worry about a loved one being a victim of gun violence every day, almost every day, or sometimes.

Ignoring these concerns and fears, the Trump administration continues to follow the NRA and Project 2025’s preferred path—despite the ongoing devastation to American life.

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