“When you add all these dimensions, [gun violence is] a very huge public health problem,” says Webster. And in 2024, then US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared it a public health crisis. Young men who live in poor communities tend to have the highest risk of gun violence, he says, as do those who experience crisis or turmoil. Trying to mediate conflicts or limit access to firearms, even temporarily, can help lower the incidence of gun violence, he says. The Trump administration has eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for organizations working to reduce gun violence.