New bill challenges 1996 budget rider that has held researchers hostage for decades
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 9, 2017) – Representative Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) introduced a bill on Thursday that aims to lift a decades-old ban on federal funding for gun violence research. The bill challenges the 1996 Dickey Amendment, which blocks the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from supporting research on gun violence prevention.
Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence Public Health Analyst Adelyn Allchin issued the following statement:
“In order to create effective evidence-based gun violence prevention policies, researchers need to be able to conduct studies on gun violence. Fearing the evidence will hurt their profit margins, the gun lobby has held researchers hostage for decades through the 1996 Dickey Amendment. This continued obstruction of data and evidence is shameful. Even former Rep. Jay Dickey, who sponsored the rider, has expressed regret at the policy’s outcome.”
“We are committed to listening to research and crafting life-saving policies based on what data tells us about risk factors for violence. We are pleased to hear that Representative Murphy and others are also committed to this common-sense, data-driven approach.”
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