Repeal Dickey Amendment, research gun violence solutions
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Editor,
There has been considerable talk of the “evil” of the shooting in Las Vegas, and considerable talk of prayer. This is disturbing, because our leaders are failing to address any preventable causes of this recurring tragedy. As crime rates decrease across all developed countries, the United States continues to stand alone in the rate of gun deaths – both from mass shootings and the sort of day-to-day violence we seem to have grown used to. Is there more “evil” in the United States than in other developed nations - or should we be looking closely at the complex reasons that we visit this destruction on ourselves? It is easy to come up with examples in which gun control has failed us – so let’s look at the system objectively – unhindered by political and economic pressure – and learn what we can do. The CDC and NIH are set up for just this kind of investigation. Unfortunately, the Dickey Amendment of 1996, urged on us by the National Rifle Association, has effectively barred the CDC from funding such research – although the NIH has been able to continue some studies. Organizations calling for a repeal of this amendment include the American Psychological Association, Doctors for America, the American College of Preventive Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Unlike the NRA, these organizations are acting in the public interest, rather than in support of an industry. Our communities and our families need to learn how to stop these tragedies. Let us repeal the Dickey Amendment, and step up research into what the problems are, and what really works. If you do not want to continue to suppress research in this area, please let your representatives know.
Gail Trenfield
St. Ignatius
