Mark Kelly’s Statement on the Need for the Senate to Confirm Surgeon General Nominee Vivek Murthy

December 13, 2014 –

”It is time for the United States Senate to do the responsible thing and vote to ensure our country has a Surgeon General. The main reason we have gone so long without one is that nominee Dr. Vivek Murthy – an experienced medical professional – evaluated the data and stated the obvious: gun violence poses a significant threat to the public health.

”Acknowledging that gun violence is a public health threat is neither controversial nor an affront to the rights of those of us who responsibly own guns; it is simply an observation based on abundantly available and overwhelming evidence. It is a shame that the Surgeon General nomination has been held up by nothing more than willful misinformation. We hope that the United States Senate will stand up to the gun lobby, stand up for common sense, and vote to confirm Dr. Vivek Murthy as our nation’s next Surgeon General.”