Gun Violence Research Critical, More Is Needed — PHI Urges Congress to Adopt Comprehensive Public Health Solutions

Statement from Matthew Marsom, PHI Vice President for Public Policy and Programs

“In the aftermath of yesterday’s tragic shooting in San Bernardino—the 355th mass shooting in 2015—the Public Health Institute (PHI) stands with President Obama in calling on Congress to pass common sense gun safety laws to better protect the American public from the snowballing epidemic of gun violence. Gun violence is a public health crisis that requires comprehensive solutions, now.

“Earlier this week, PHI joined the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with over 20 additional national health and child advocacy organizations, in urging the House Appropriations Committee to lift the decades-long ban on funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for research on the prevention of gun violence. Together, we called for increased funding to the CDC and at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research into the causes and prevention of gun violence.

“This is a necessary and critical step—and increased funding for research alone is not enough. We are in the midst of a public health crisis, and the American people need real change now.

“To truly prevent gun violence, we must advance a comprehensive set of strategies. Funding more data and studies on gun violence is one piece of a larger solution; this must work in tandem with policy change, design modifications to guns, and increased collaboration across sectors to build communities with full opportunity for all people to thrive, safe from gun violence.

“Gun violence kills 90 Americans each day—but it is not inevitable. We urge Congress to go beyond increased funding for gun violence research, and take swift action to implement a comprehensive public health approach to violence prevention.”

Help spread the word with a tweet: Why funding research is critical to preventing #GunViolence, but not enough: http://bit.ly/1lcCmQ5 via @phidotorg