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NSC Statement on House Decision to Reject Proposal for CDC Gun Violence Research

All the numbers tell us is that people are dying from firearms; we need to know why.

July 13, 2018

Itasca, IL – The National Safety Council is dismayed by House appropriators’ decision to reject a proposal that would have designated much-needed funding for the CDC to research gun violence. For decades, the United States has lacked the data it needs to properly analyze firearm-related deaths and injuries. This has been a glaring gap in our otherwise world class efforts to collect information that ultimately helps inform effective prevention strategies.

We lost 38,658 people in 2016 to gunshots – nearly a 7% increase from 2015. Suicides account for 59% of these deaths, while 37% were homicides and about 1% were accidental. Homicides related to guns increased 11% from 2015 to 2016, marking the second consecutive yearly increase. For a 10th consecutive year, suicide deaths involving guns increased and, sadly, in 2015, 67% of veteran suicides involved a firearm.

Americans’ odds of dying from an intentional gunshot are 1 in 285. All these numbers tell us, however, is how the deaths occurred. People deserve to know why they occurred. Better data can help us glean those important insights, but this data cannot be uncovered if researchers and scientists are not given the proper tools.

About the National Safety Council

The National Safety Council is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas where we can make the most impact.

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