06-22-2017, 03:24 PM
tl;dr: The NRA has been stifling gun violence research for 20 years and it is why we don't have a viable solution for curbing gun violence in our country.
So, it's no secret that gun control tends to become a hot button issue every time a mass shooting occurs, and sometimes it randomly crops up as well. We know that there are a number of different methods that are discussed to reduce gun deaths in the country.
And that could go on with the different nuances that are discussed. The problem is, we don't know the effectiveness. There was a study by Lott that said (literally, in its title) More Guns, Less Crime. That study has been called into question with further research. The effectiveness on expanding background checks to private sales, licensing for ownership, all of these things is questionable. There are studies on them, but nothing conclusive as to what would actually cause a benefit. Sure, violent crime, including homicides, have been dropping since the 90s (though they have been steady for a couple years), but we are still at a higher rate than our fellow developed nations. Some do attribute this to a rise in the number of guns available, which that number has risen, but the number of households with firearms has decreased. Then there is the question of the root causes, because let's be honest, firearm availability is only a proximate cause to gun violence. Socioeconomic issues can be the root cause for many, problem is that we don't know.
Gun violence in this country should be a major concern, so why is it that we don't know much about it?
In 1996, there was an amendment attached to a bill by a many named Dickey that prevented the CDC funding from being used to promote gun control. Now, Dickey's own words are that what happened after was not the intended effect (and probably why he now regrets he ever drafted this). This has effectively ended gun violence research in this country. There is an average of $5 million spent on gun violence research, almost entirely by private donors (who are also hesitant to spend on it because of the political climate). To give you an idea, one HIV study can cost that much, and we lose many more Americans to gun violence than we do HIV. Even though the amendment does not cut funding for gun violence research, Congress did that the following year, and directors since then have not bucked that trend. This is due to, in large part, lobbying and spending efforts by the NRA.
The issue is that we have an issue in this country that needs to be researched. There needs to be something done, and it may not even be gun control, but we don't know until there is adequate research. Anyone that tells you something will or will not work for certain is full of it, and don't let them convince you otherwise, because they don't have the data to back them up. I know, I'm sitting with a stack of the data that is out there. Maybe it doesn't need to be the CDC, maybe it is some other research avenue, but we need to be doing research on this so we can find out the appropriate policy solutions.
Sorry, I took a break from my research to go on a bit of a rant. I just figured I would throw this out there for anyone interested in it. Now back to your regularly scheduled bickering.
So, it's no secret that gun control tends to become a hot button issue every time a mass shooting occurs, and sometimes it randomly crops up as well. We know that there are a number of different methods that are discussed to reduce gun deaths in the country.
- Enhancing and strengthening NICS
- "Assault weapons" bans
- Reducing access to the mentally ill
And that could go on with the different nuances that are discussed. The problem is, we don't know the effectiveness. There was a study by Lott that said (literally, in its title) More Guns, Less Crime. That study has been called into question with further research. The effectiveness on expanding background checks to private sales, licensing for ownership, all of these things is questionable. There are studies on them, but nothing conclusive as to what would actually cause a benefit. Sure, violent crime, including homicides, have been dropping since the 90s (though they have been steady for a couple years), but we are still at a higher rate than our fellow developed nations. Some do attribute this to a rise in the number of guns available, which that number has risen, but the number of households with firearms has decreased. Then there is the question of the root causes, because let's be honest, firearm availability is only a proximate cause to gun violence. Socioeconomic issues can be the root cause for many, problem is that we don't know.
Gun violence in this country should be a major concern, so why is it that we don't know much about it?
In 1996, there was an amendment attached to a bill by a many named Dickey that prevented the CDC funding from being used to promote gun control. Now, Dickey's own words are that what happened after was not the intended effect (and probably why he now regrets he ever drafted this). This has effectively ended gun violence research in this country. There is an average of $5 million spent on gun violence research, almost entirely by private donors (who are also hesitant to spend on it because of the political climate). To give you an idea, one HIV study can cost that much, and we lose many more Americans to gun violence than we do HIV. Even though the amendment does not cut funding for gun violence research, Congress did that the following year, and directors since then have not bucked that trend. This is due to, in large part, lobbying and spending efforts by the NRA.
The issue is that we have an issue in this country that needs to be researched. There needs to be something done, and it may not even be gun control, but we don't know until there is adequate research. Anyone that tells you something will or will not work for certain is full of it, and don't let them convince you otherwise, because they don't have the data to back them up. I know, I'm sitting with a stack of the data that is out there. Maybe it doesn't need to be the CDC, maybe it is some other research avenue, but we need to be doing research on this so we can find out the appropriate policy solutions.
Sorry, I took a break from my research to go on a bit of a rant. I just figured I would throw this out there for anyone interested in it. Now back to your regularly scheduled bickering.
"A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy..." - TR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
