Opposition from gun groups is holding up — and may ultimately block — confirmation of U.S. surgeon general nominee Vivek Murthy, who expressed support for gun control in the wake of the Newtown shootings.

Doctor/author Atul Gawande recently tweeted: "The success of the attack on Vivek Murthy's nomination for surgeon general, for holding views on guns that the AMA holds, is infuriating."

Here, two doctors and one doctor-to-be who know Dr. Murthy — a Harvard- and Yale-trained physician — react similarly to the news that his nomination may be scuttled.

By Ali Khan, M.D., Sanjay Kishore and Christopher Lillis, M.D.

Guest contributors

His is the story of which American dreams are made: a first-generation immigrant who grew up in South Florida, where he worked on weekends to support his father’s small business. After winning a spot at Harvard at 16, he set his sights on medicine and leadership. He founded an international non-profit focused on HIV/AIDS youth education while at Yale for medical school – and threw on an MBA for good measure before heading back to Boston for residency training at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Since then, he’s practiced medicine while working as a serial entrepreneur, starting both private and non-profit organizations in medical research and health advocacy. He wields a blinding smile and a voice that immediately commands a room.

He’s even been to the White House – and he took his mom with him.