In 1997, Congress, doing the bidding of the pro-gun lobby, withdrew funding used for gun-violence research by federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That ban on funding — and similar prohibitions in a few states — sent an intimidating message to scientists across the nation, shutting down research. The bans exist to this day, frustrating efforts to understand the epidemic of gun violence that has gripped this nation in such savage forms as the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown two weeks ago.
The bans should be reversed and research funding restored for the sake of saving lives.