An NRA-sponsored amendment to the 1996 federal government omnibus spending bill, known as the Dickey Amendment, mandated that “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.”
As a result of this amendment, the CDC has been prevented from engaging in research on the cause of gun violence and, more importantly, providing information to policy makers or the public about ways to reduce gun violence, including mass shootings.
Causes of gun violence might be related to many factors, including the availability of firearms to young people, the availability of assault weapons, the effect of violent video games, mental illness, drug and alcohol use, increased political polarization and other potential causes.
Gun violence and mass shootings are a public health issue. The lack of solid information fuels misinformation and prevents meaningful efforts to address this national problem.
For instance, President Trump has and other lawmakers have cited several of these factors as excuses for not taking any action on reducing gun violence without any evidence to support these assertions.
I call on Senators Bennet and Gardner, and Rep. Tipton, to support repeal of the Dickey Amendment.
Robert Dawes
Durango
