GEORGIA CONGRESSWOMAN MCBATH SECURES $ 25 MILLION FUNDING FOR GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION RESEARCH

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[Congress\Gun Violence]
Representative Lucy McBath: “We have the responsibility to pursue life-saving research, and today we vote to end gun violence. As a survivor of gun violence, I could not be more proud of the measures we have taken to save the countless numbers of lives that may be affected by gun violence in the future.”
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Georgia Representative Lucy McBath–whose son (17-year-old Jordan Davis) was killed by gun violence (shot and murdered by Michael Dunn on Nov. 23, 2012)–released the following statement in anticipation of the passage of major gun violence prevention research funding, the first of its kind in 20 years.

In March, McBath led her colleagues in a letter to secure the funding for the appropriations process in Fiscal Year 2020. The funding bill will send $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health for critical projects. Some of the gun violence prevention funding will go to the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in Chamblee, and will support their efforts to find solutions to the gun violence epidemic.

“I came to Washington to help protect our communities and was proud to lead my colleagues in asking for this life-saving research funding. I am thrilled that for the first time in two decades, we have successfully secured that funding, funding that will help us prevent gun violence and keep our families whole,” McBath said. “Every day, nearly 100 Americans are killed by guns, and we have a responsibility to come together and do all we can to find solutions that will help save American lives.”

Of the top 30 causes of death, twenty-nine receive more research funding than guns.

The funding package passed as part of the Labor-Health & Human Services-Education Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2020. In June, Rep. McBath spoke on the House floor in support of the passage of this research funding. 

“Mister Speaker, I rise today to urge action to end the public health crisis of gun violence.

“Every day, nearly 100 people are killed in suicides, homicides, and accidents involving guns. But we have not invested nearly enough in preventing these deaths. Of the top 30 causes of death, twenty-nine receive more research funding than guns. But today, this body will vote to invest in gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health.

“I recently visited the Centers for Disease Control Injury Center, which is in my district. With this critical funding, they will learn how we can prevent gun tragedies. This investment is long overdue, and I was proud to lead my colleagues in asking for this funding.

“We have the responsibility to pursue life-saving research, and today we vote to end gun violence. As a survivor of gun violence, I could not be more proud of the measures we have taken to save the countless numbers of lives that may be affected by gun violence in the future. The time has passed for my son, the time has passed for others like my son, who was killed unnecessarily due to gun violence. But I am so grateful for this day. I’m so grateful for the research that will save many lives for generations to come.

“I yield back the balance of my time.’

North Carolina Congressman David Price also released a statement following the inclusion of $25 million in dedicated federal resources for gun violence prevention research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the final spending package for the 2020 fiscal year.

This announcement follows two letters Congressman Price led with hundreds of colleagues requesting funding for gun violence research in this year’s funding bill.

“On average, over 100,000 people a year are shot in the United States, but the CDC and the NIH have effectively been banned from studying its root causes and effects on public health,” said Congressman David Price. “For years, I have worked to eliminate barriers restricting gun violence research. We cannot stand idly by as the death toll continues to mount. The American people want solutions to the needless gun violence epidemic at their schools, their places of worship, and in their communities.”

“I am pleased to see that the tide has finally turned. Over 100 of my colleagues and I advocated for these funds, and I am encouraged to see that NIH and CDC will finally have the resources they need to conduct life-saving research about the most effective ways to respond to gun violence as a public health crisis. I am grateful to Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey, and Speaker Pelosi for their leadership on this important issue.”

The $25 million will be split evenly between the CDC and the NIH.

Congressman David Price is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and Vice-Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and has worked for years to secure funds for gun violence prevention research to help inform effective, evidence-based strategies to respond to the crisis.

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