Should public health officials weigh in on all issues? Yes. In my home state, every bill before the legislature has a financial assessment tied t it, because most laws cost money. The same should be true for health: we should figure out if an issue is positive, negative, mixed or neutral on public health. It should be part of the deliberation process.

Take your gun example: people should know that if they support the status quo gun laws how many people will die, or what the impact of a new lw is. That doesn’t mean the CDC regulates guns, but it does mean they should have a voice in the conversation.