In December 2019, Congress approved federal funding for gun violence research for the first time in nearly 20 years. As part of the fiscal year 2020 (FY 2020) spending bill (H.R. 1865), Congress approved $25 million that will be split evenly between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research firearm-related deaths and injuries.
“The epidemic of gun violence is a public health emergency,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services that approved the funding, said in a statement. “Yet, for more than two decades, Congress has failed to provide any meaningful reforms. The funding for evidence-based research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health will help us better understand the correlation between domestic violence and gun violence, how Americans can more safely store guns, and how we can intervene to reduce suicide by firearms.”
The CDC estimates that nearly 40,000 Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2017, based on the most recent data available. Compared with other wealthy countries around the world, the U.S. rates high in terms of its levels of gun violence. A study by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that the U.S. is among six countries that accounted for more than 50% of the world’s firearm-related deaths in 2016 (the five others are all located in Central and South America).
Federal funding for gun violence research was halted in 1996 when Congress passed the Dickey Amendment, which prevented the CDC from doing research that would advocate for or promote gun control. Named for former Rep. Jay Dickey (R-Ark.), the measure essentially froze research into the issue of firearm deaths. In fact, a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that research publications on gun violence declined by 64 percent between 1998 and 2012. In that same time, the number of researchers dedicated to studying gun violence also fell.
In 2018, Congress clarified that the Dickey Amendment does not prevent the CDC from conducting research into gun violence. However, Congress did not provide any actual funding for the research.
The FY 2020 funding measure received vocal support from a number of health care organizations, including the American Public Health Association (APHA). “We are extremely grateful that the bill would provide both CDC and the National Institutes of Health each with $12.5 million to study gun violence prevention,” Georges Benjamin, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement. “This funding is a central piece in a much-needed public health approach to reduce gun violence in the United States.”
Gun safety advocates, however, would still like to see Congress do more. “Americans demanding action can breathe a little easier with this momentous step toward a gun-safe America,” said former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot in 2011 during a constituent meeting at a Tucson grocery store. “We still have a long road ahead keeping American communities safe, but investing in gun violence prevention research at CDC and NIH is a step in the right direction.”
While the funding measure had bipartisan support, House Democrats did have to settle for less than the $50 million they had originally sought as part of a deal with Senate Republicans. Democrats also decided to keep the Dickey Amendment in place to get funding approved by the Republican-controlled Senate.
“You have to get something passed through the Senate, and it might make people more comfortable if the Dickey Amendment was there,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told The Hill newspaper. “There’s always been a question as to what the Dickey Amendment prohibits and allows. If you set up a specific fund, it will be clear about what it allows without having to repeal it.”
Increased gun safety has been a long-standing agenda item for Democrats, and in 2019, the Democratic-controlled House passed some of the most significant gun reform bills in more than two decades, including the Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act (H.R. 1112). Both bills are aimed at closing loopholes to strengthen background check measures; however, it is unlikely that either bill will be considered by the Senate.
The FY 2020 funding measure allocating $25 million for gun violence research was signed by President Trump in December 2019.
For more background, see the November 2019 issue of Congressional Digest on “Gun Control.”
