March 25, 2021
The Honorable Patrick Leahy The Honorable Richard Shelby
Chairman Vice Chairman
Committee on Appropriations Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Patty Murray The Honorable Roy Blunt
Chair Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human
Services, Education, and Related Agencies Services, Education, and Related Agencies
U.S. Senate U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Chairman Leahy, Vice Chairman Shelby, Chair Murray, and Ranking Member Blunt:
As you consider appropriations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, the undersigned 202 national, state,
and local medical, public health, and research organizations write to ask you to provide $50
million in funding shared evenly between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct public health
research into firearm morbidity and mortality prevention.
In the midst of the COVID–19 pandemic, communities across the U.S. continue to suffer from
the public health crisis of firearm–related injuries and deaths. In 2019, the most recent year for
which we have data, firearm–related injuries led to 39,707 fatalities.i A public health approach to
firearm violence prevention is urgently needed to promote health equity and address the
disproportionate burden of this epidemic on communities of color. The foundation of this
approach is rigorous research that can accurately quantify and describe the facets of an issue and
identify opportunities for reducing its related morbidity and mortality.
We would like to thank Congress for providing $25 million for this public health research to the
CDC and NIH in FY20 and for continuing this funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act
for FY 2021. This initial investment was a crucial step toward applying a public health approach
to increasing gun safety and reducing firearm–related injuries and deaths, and we are excited to
see these funds contributing to important research projects that are now underway. The CDC has
made 18 awards for two– and three–year projects to improve scientific understanding of firearm–
related violence and to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of prevention strategies.ii The NIH is
funding research on the determinants of firearm injury, the identification of those at risk, and the
evaluation of innovative interventions.iii These projects will advance our knowledge of how to
keep communities safe, with some researchers focusing on particular groups such as U.S. Army
soldiers and veterans, children, and residents of rural and urban areas.
This initial investment is important, but increased funding is still needed to overcome the
decades–long lack of federal funding that set back our nation’s response to the public health issue
of firearm–related morbidity and mortality. Over time, additional funding can generate research
into important issues such as the best ways to prevent unintended firearm injuries and fatalities
among women and children; the most effective methods to prevent firearm–related suicides; the
measures that can best prevent the next shooting at a school or public place; and numerous other
vital public health questions. Continued and expanded investments are essential to the success of
this important work.
Our groups strongly urge the Senate to increase funding to the CDC and NIH for firearm
morbidity and mortality prevention research to a total of $50 million as part of FY 2022
appropriations. Continued and expanded funding could support the creation of additional, large,
multi–year studies and accelerate the rebuilding of a research community that shrank in the
decades before Congress restored this federal funding. Robust and sustained research on motor
vehicle crashes and subsequent legislation has helped save hundreds of thousands of lives
through public health interventions, including seat belts and other safety features. The same
approach can help reduce firearm–related injuries in our communities, including ensuring that the
CDC and NIH are able to adequately fund non–biased, evidence–based research into this public
health priority.
Our organizations stand ready to work with you to support this critical effort. Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
National Organizations:
AANS/CNS Joint Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery
Academic Pediatric Association
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Neurology
American Academy of Nursing
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Anthropological Association
American Art Therapy Association
American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Physicians
American College of Surgeons
American Educational Research Association
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
American Medical Association
American Medical Student Association
American Medical Women’s Association
American Nurses Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Pediatric Society
American Physical Therapy Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychological Association
American Public Health Association
American School Counselor Association
American Society for Clinical Pathology
American Society of Pediatric Nephrology
American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons
American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology
American Sociological Association
American Thoracic Society
American Trauma Society
Association for Psychological Science
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)
Association of Departments of Family Medicine
Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs
Association of Pediatric Program Directors
Association of Population Centers
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Big Cites Health Coalition
Brain Injury Association of America
Catholic Health Association of the United States
Center for American Progress
Child Injury Prevention Alliance
Children’s Defense Fund
Children’s Hospital Association
Coalition for the Promotion of Behavioral Health
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Council of Pediatric Subspecialties
Council on Social Work Education
Doctors for America
Emergency Nurses Association
Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences
First Focus Campaign for Children
Futures Without Violence
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality
Healthy Teen Network
International Association of Forensic Nurses
Jewish Federations of North America
Jewish Women International
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Association of School Nurses
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National League for Nursing
National Network of Public Health Institutes
National Organization for Women
National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives
National Safety Council
National Women’s Health Network
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies
North American Primary Care Research Group
North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Pediatric Endocrine Society
Pediatric Policy Council
Population Association of America
Prevention Institute
Safe States Alliance
Sandy Hook Promise
School Social Work Association of America
Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR)
Society for Pediatric Anesthesia
Society for Pediatric Research
Society for Prevention Research
Society for Social Work and Research
Society of General Internal Medicine
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention
The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health
The Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America
The Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Trust for America’s Health
Ujima, Inc., The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community
YMCA of the USA
ZERO TO THREE
State and Local Organizations:
A Friend of Mind
Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Pediatrics – Arizona Chapter
American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 1
American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 2
American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 3
American Academy of Pediatrics – Colorado Chapter
American Academy of Pediatrics – Hawaii Chapter
American Academy of Pediatrics New York Chapter 2
American Academy of Pediatrics New York Chapter 3
American Academy of Pediatrics Puerto Rico Chapter
American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter
American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Chapter
American Academy of Pediatrics, Utah Chapter
Arizona Public Health Association
Brain Injury Association of America–Kentucky Chapter
Brain Injury Association of Kansas and Greater Kansas City
Brain Injury Association of Louisiana
Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts
Brain Injury Association of Michigan
Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Children’s Wisconsin
Colorado Public Health Association
DC Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association
Delaware Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Florida Chapter – American Academy of Pediatrics
Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Hawaii Public Health Association
Idaho Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Idaho Public Health Association
Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Illinois Public Health Association
Indiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Louisiana Public Health Association
Maine Association of Psychiatric Physicians
Maine Public Health Association
Maryland Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
The Maryland Psychiatric Society, Inc.
Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Michigan Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Missouri Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
NC Public Health Association
Nebraska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Nevada Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Nevada Public Health Association
New Hampshire Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
New Hampshire Psychiatric Society
New Jersey Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center – Rutgers School of Public Health
New Jersey Public Health Association
New Jersey School Counselor Association, Inc.
New Mexico Pediatric Society
New York State Public Health Association
North Carolina Pediatric Society
North Dakota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Northern California Psychiatric Society
Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Oklahoma Chapter – American Academy of Pediatrics
Oregon Pediatric Society
Oregon Public Health Association
Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Pennsylvania Public Health Association
Rhode Island Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Rhode Island Psychiatric Society
Rhode Island Public Health Association
South Carolina Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
South Dakota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Southern California Public Health Association
Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Tennessee Public Health Association
Texas Pediatric Society, the Texas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
UNC Hospitals Trauma Center
Utah Public Health Association
Virginia Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Virginia Public Health Association
Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
West Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Wisconsin Public Health Association
Wyoming Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
i Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web–based Injury
Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. Accessed February 16, 2021. Available
at: www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars.
ii Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Firearm Violence
Prevention: Funded Research. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/firearms/funded–
research.html. Accessed February 4, 2021.
iii National Institutes of Health, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. NIH awards grants for firearm
injury and mortality prevention research. Available at: https://obssr.od.nih.gov/nih–awards–grants–for–firearm–injury–
and–mortality–prevention–research/. Accessed February 4, 2