Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Rogue River man gets prison for shooting at newspaper carriers ... Teenager sentenced to jail for freeway incidents ... Updated: Mayor Wheeler says he'll veto Patridge selection ... Rogue River man gets prison for shooting at newspaper carriers ... Teenager sentenced to jail for freeway incidents ... Updated: Mayor Wheeler says he'll veto Patridge selection ... OUR VIEW Our View: End the ban on gun violence research MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jul. 21, 2016 @ 12:01 am Posted Jul. 21, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Oregon Gov. Kate Brown last week issued an executive order intended to strengthen existing state gun laws, and called on the Legislature to enact three new laws next session aimed at reducing gun violence. Gun rights groups say the measures won't work; gun control supporters say they will. Here's the truth: Nobody knows. Nobody knows because badly needed research at the federal level has been suppressed for decades by Congress, which has blocked funding for gun violence research by the Centers for Disease Control. Starting in 1996, Congress prohibited any funding for CDC studies that would "advocate or promote gun control." The public health agency, fearing the rest of its funding could be in jeopardy, ended all such research. In 2013, after the Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Conn. President Obama issued an executive order directing the CDC to draw up a plan to thoroughly study gun violence and potential remedies. The CDC, with the help of the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, convened a committee of experts that developed a potential research agenda. But Congress never approved funding for any actual research. Now, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, along with 22 fellow Democratic senators, is asking Senate leaders to allow the CDC to conduct the research. None of that research needs to infringe on anyone's rights. What it just might do is settle some debates over gun statistics, so that at least we can all start the debate with the same set of facts. For example, gun rights advocates are fond of claiming that gun owners successfully defend themselves with firearms far more often that is reported — 3 million times a year, according to one study. Another study says 500,000. Still another says 108,000. The CDC's research agenda drily notes, "The variation in these numbers remains a controversy in the field." Clearly, more research is needed. While they're at it, researchers could answer some other basic questions, such as: How many guns are there in the U.S.? How do criminals get guns? Does limiting magazine capacity work? Is there a relationship between gun ownership levels and crime levels? Do universal background checks work? Gun rights supporters and gun control advocates alike may say they know the answers to these questions. They don't. But they could, if the CDC were allowed to conduct the research necessary to answer these and other questions. Unfortunately, the gun lobby and its congressional supporters has steadfastly blocked that research — as though it is afraid of what the research might reveal. The Senate should choose science over rhetoric and fund gun-violence research. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jul. 21, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501