Senators Push for Federally Funding Gun Control Research
By Beth Baumann. April 10th, 2017
While the rest of the country has focused on the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch, Senate Democrats have been plotting their latest scheme: a bigger push for gun control through government “research.” Earlier this week, Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) introduced Senate Bill 834, which would grant funds to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to “conduct or support research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.”
Should SB 834 pass, the CDC would be given a minimum of $10 million per year for at least six years. The funding, which would begin in 2018, would be earmarked specifically for gun research.
“Gun violence is ending lives and shattering families in Massachusetts and across our country,” said Markey. “Now more than ever we must study the causes of gun violence and what can be done to prevent it. No one should be afraid of more non-partisan, scientific research into this vital issue – not Republicans, not the NRA and not President Trump.”
If SB 834 becomes law, this would be the largest federal funding for gun research since a bill introduced in 1996 which limits the use of federal funds to limit or control the use of firearms. The 1996 bill was introduced by former Rep. Jay Dickey (R-AR).
In 2014 and 2015, Sen. Markey and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) tried introducing similar legislation. Both pieces of legislation were pigeonholed in committee.
Of course, the bill is sponsored by a number of gun control groups, including Newtown Action Alliance, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, the Brady Campaign, Americans for Responsible Solutions and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
“Gun violence kills more than 90 Americans and injures hundreds more each day, and yet it remains one of the most underfunded areas of public health research,” said Sarah Tofe, research director for Everytown in a statement emailed to Guns.com. “The legislation introduced today would appropriate necessary and long overdue funds to the CDC to reclaim their leadership when it comes to gun violence prevention research – a role that has been decimated for more than two decades thanks to a relentless campaign by gun lobby-backed legislators.”