by executive order, direct the CDC to research and report on gun violence related to mental illness and gun access.

Multiple mass shootings have been linked to mental illness and easy access to guns. The CDC was studying this link when the Republican congress and the gun lobby shut it down in the late 1990's. This congressional ban on gun violence research, backed by the National Rifle Association, was extended in the aftermath of the Charleston SC church shooting (6/17/2015) that left 9 people dead. This ban needs to be overridden by executive order. The victims, families, and those who may become future victims, deserve nothing less. The cost of not doing the research is too high - both in lives lost, and in dollars spent in the aftermath of these shootings. Executive ordered, independent, scientific research is needed to determine the best solution to this life and death health issue in America.