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…

From the September 2019 issue of Congressional Digest Extreme risk laws, also known as “Red Flag” laws, enable citizens to prevent a person in crisis from obtaining firearms. The laws are designed to de-escalate a crisis situation. If a family member or police officer believes that the person might harm themselves or someone else, she may petition a judge to restrict access. In March, Representative Ted Deutch (R-FL) reintroduced legislation that would give grants to States that have such laws. Also in March, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on gun control entitled “Red Flag Laws: Examining Guidelines for…

A year after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Senator Bob Menendez (NJ-D) and Representative Ted Deutch (FL-D) introduced the Keep America Safe Act. The bill would ban the sale of gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. In a February 12 press conference, supporters called the legislation a step in the process of passing individual gun safety measures instead of a comprehensive package. Senator Richard Blumenthal (CT-D), cosponsor of the bill, stated: “Guns become doubly and triply deadline in these massacres because of these high-capacity magazines, and so if we…

The House of Representatives will soon take up legislation to require universal background checks for gun buyers. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act — H.R. 8, introduced by Representative Mike Thompson (CA-D) — has 230 cosponsors, including five Republicans. The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill on February 6, titled “Preventing Gun Violence: A Call to Action.” The bill would close the “gun show loophole,” which allows people purchasing firearms through private sales, typically at gun shows, to forgo a background check. Under the legislation, only licensed firearms dealers would be permitted to exchange weapons, with a few…

The Trump Administration has proposed a new rule that would ban bump stocks, devices that are used to make semiautomatic guns operate like machine guns. The shooter in the Las Vegas shooting used a bump stock. Bump stocks are banned in some States, including Delaware, Hawaii, and Florida. In December of 2018, the Department of Justice wrote that it was “… amending the regulations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to clarify that bump-stock-type devices—meaning “bump fire” stocks, slide-fire devices, and devices with certain similar characteristics—are “machineguns” as defined by the National Firearms Act of 1934…

A position paper published by the American College of Physicians (ACP) on November 20, 2018, argued that firearm-related deaths and injuries in the United States need to be addressed. The paper stated: “The ACP is concerned about not only the alarm­ing number of mass shootings in the United States but also the daily toll of firearm violence in neigh­borhoods, homes, workplaces, and public and private places across the country.” The National Rifle Association responded with a tweet that said: “Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Half of the articles in Annals of Internal Medicine are…

Senate Democrats and attorneys general from eight States and the District of Columbia have launched a campaign to block the availability online of computer models of firearms. These models can be used in conjunction with new 3D printing technology to manufacture guns and gun parts. Senators Ed Markey (MA-D), Richard Blumenthal (CT-D), and others have filed legislation to prohibit the publi­cation of a digital file online that allows a 3D printer to manufacture a firearm. A separate bill would require all guns to have at least one significant component made of metal. Lawmakers and the attorneys general are concerned that…

As part of a series of proposals designed to tighten Federal gun laws, President Obama, in early January, pushed for $500 million in Federal appropriations for improved access to mental health services. His announcement opened up a debate in Congress over whether, and to what extent, gun policy and mental health reform should be linked legislatively. Most Republicans have said that improving the Nation’s mental health system would be the best way to reduce gun violence, while most Democrats have maintained that both mental health reform and gun safety measures are needed. Mental health advocates, while wary about combining the…

On January 5, in a ceremony at the White House, President Obama announced a series of proposals to tighten Federal gun laws, calling them “common-sense steps to save lies and protect more of our children.” The initiative includes both legislative proposals that Congress would have to act on and executive actions that the President can take on his own. Major provisions include: Requiring more gun sellers — especially those who do business on the Internet and at gun shows — to be licensed and to conduct background checks on potential buyers. Hiring more than 230 additional FBI personnel to help…

The Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 1997 contained language stating that “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] may be used to advocate or promote gun control.” Although the bill did not explicitly ban research on gun violence, Congress took the money previously appropriated for firearm injury research and earmarked it for another purpose. The ban on CDC research on gun deaths and injuries, which has remained in place ever since, was prompted by the results of a 1993 study, published in the New England…