To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Free our federal research organizations to study guns as they study disease and crime.
A recent story I heard informed me of something I never knew [ Fresh Air, http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167694808/assault-style-weapons-in-the-civilian-market ]
There have been laws or riders on the federal funding bills that prohibit the Centers for Disease Control and Injury from funding any study relating to guns, gun violence or any research that could study the REAL cause of death due to guns. There are also provisions to prevent the ATF from reporting statistics of which guns are most involved in which crimes and how the weapons were obtained.
I hope you listen to the interview and conclude as I do that tying researchers hands leaves the question in limbo with each side claiming their own conclusions regarding responsibility for the gun deaths in this country.
Major industry leaders and their lobbyists protected tobacco companies for far too long. Somehow, finding this out about our federally funded agencies reminded me of that history. We tie their hands to research guns and make it difficult to show the public that some gun-control is sane and makes sense in terms of saving lives and saving medical dollars for people injured. This makes me think the NRA and gun industry have been even MORE efficient at blocking research conclusions that might decrease their sales than were the tobacco companies.
Help clear up this issue. Make gun control research legal and encouraged by the government.
Stop tying the hands of gun researchers.
There have been laws or riders on the federal funding bills that prohibit the Centers for Disease Control and Injury from funding any study relating to guns, gun violence or any research that could study the REAL cause of death due to guns. There are also provisions to prevent the ATF from reporting statistics of which guns are most involved in which crimes and how the weapons were obtained.
I hope you listen to the interview and conclude as I do that tying researchers hands leaves the question in limbo with each side claiming their own conclusions regarding responsibility for the gun deaths in this country.
Major industry leaders and their lobbyists protected tobacco companies for far too long. Somehow, finding this out about our federally funded agencies reminded me of that history. We tie their hands to research guns and make it difficult to show the public that some gun-control is sane and makes sense in terms of saving lives and saving medical dollars for people injured. This makes me think the NRA and gun industry have been even MORE efficient at blocking research conclusions that might decrease their sales than were the tobacco companies.
Help clear up this issue. Make gun control research legal and encouraged by the government.
Stop tying the hands of gun researchers.
Why is this important?
Untie the hands of researchers or research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Injury and the ATF so that we the people can see exactly what the possible causes to our country having so much gun violence. Is it proliferation of assault weapons? Are they most used in crimes? Is it really true that murderers without guns can kill as many people as murderers with guns? Much less assault guns? Our government should be protecting us, not prohibiting research that might lead to saner gun control.