After Two Decades, Congress To Resume Gun Violence Research Funding

A spending agreement struck by Congressional leaders this week included $25 million for gun violence research. It’s the first time in two decades that Congress has agreed to fund that research. 

The money is set to be split between the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Since the passage of the Dickey Amendment in 1996, which prohibited funding for any research that promotes gun control, the CDC and NIH have funded very few gun violence-related research projects.

Megan Ranney, co-founder of the gun violence prevention nonprofit Affirm Research, applauded the new funding and said there are major gaps in researchers’ understanding of the topic.