President Donald Trump has fired U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the most anti-gun surgeon general in recent history.
In a statement, the Department of Health and Human Services said Murthy had been asked to resign, and that he would be replaced temporarily by Rear Adm. Sylvia Trent-Adams, the current deputy surgeon general.
Murthy’s gun control advocacy before being appointed to the position was not just expressed in terms of his personal opinion: He exploited his status as a doctor to suggest he arrived at his views based purely on scientific evidence. At the time of his hotly contested Senate confirmation hearing, NRA spokesperson Catherine Mortensen had said, “Murthy’s confirmation reminds our members and Second Amendment supporters everywhere, we must elect a pro-freedom president in 2016.”