Legislators want CDC to research gun violence

Every year in the United States more than 32,000 people die from gun violence according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but when it comes to studying what causes the violence and potential ways to prevent it the CDC’s research simply does not exist.

The CDC doesn’t have the funding because of something called the Dickey Amendment, which since 1996, has prevented the agency from using any federal money to advocate or promote gun control. But 18 U.S. senators say along with preventing advocacy, it has also had the unfortunate consequence of blocking all federally funded research.

The Senators, including Delaware’s Chris Coons and Tom Carper, outline their concerns in a letter to the Senate Labor Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee requesting a hearing about changing the Dickey Amendment.

Dr. Kathy Seifert has researched gun violence for over 20 years, she says the funding would allow the CDC to do the same level of research they do with other matters.

“What the CDC does with every other area of research except for gun violence is they replicate what’s already been done by me or anyone else,” Seifert said. “My research says that you can identify people at risk for violence to an eighty percent, the level of knowledge we have right now, at an 80 percent accuracy level.”

With the CDC on board, Seifert says America would see a drop in gun violence.

“It’s cost effective, it would reduce the amount of violence in this country and it would be good for the country and it would be good for the people,” Seifert said.

We’re told there has been no response to the letter as of Monday night.

The Senate’s Labor Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee has a scheduled hearing Tuesday, although there is no word on whether they will discuss the letter.