More than 200 Organizations Support Funding to Research Firearm Morbidity and Mortality Preventon

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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 COVID19 pandemic, communities across the U.S. continue to suffer from
the public health crisis of firearmrelated injuries and deaths. In 2019, the most recent year for
which we have data, firearmrelated 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 firearmrelated 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 threeyear 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
decadeslong lack of federal funding that set back our nation’s response to the public health issue
of firearmrelated 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 firearmrelated 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,
multiyear 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 firearmrelated injuries in our communities, including ensuring that the
CDC and NIH are able to adequately fund nonbiased, evidencebased 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 AmericaKentucky 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. Webbased 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/nihawardsgrantsforfirearminjury
andmortalitypreventionresearch/
. Accessed February 4, 2

We want to express our concern for our members and colleagues in the potentially affected areas as we monitor Hurricane Milton. As we approach our Annual Meeting scheduled for November 20-23, we will keep you updated on any developments and how they may impact our plans in Tampa. In the meantime, we hope everyone stays safe and takes the necessary precautions.

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