Dear Secretary Azar:
On Feb. 15, 2018, the day after the Parkland high school shooting, you testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee that you support research on gun violence prevention. You further stated that you consider it “a priority" for your Department.[1] The time has long since passed for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to treat gun violence with the urgency that public health epidemics require, and I was pleased to hear you agree. In 1996, Congress passed legislation, known as the Dickey Amendment, supported by the National Rifle Association (NRA) prohibiting the CDC from using federal funds “to promote or advocate gun control."[2] However, I have long believed and agree with your understanding that “the rider does not in any way impede [HHS’s] abilities to conduct [its] research mission."[3] While the Dickey Amendment may prohibit advocacy, it does not prohibit objective, evidence-based research. Nonetheless, public health research into gun violence remains woefully inadequate.
Since 2012, the United States has averaged more than 35,000 gun deaths per year, with nearly 39,000 gun deaths occurring in 2016.[4] Since the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999, over 150,000 students in at least 170 schools have experienced a shooting on campus.[5] Health professionals across the country consider gun violence in America a “public health crisis requiring a comprehensive public health response and solution."[6] Common sense gun safety measures are needed now, and we must also increase research into this epidemic to deepen our understanding and inform new solutions and practices. From fighting cancer to decreasing road traffic fatalities, public health research has played a critical role in saving lives. It is immoral and unacceptable to treat gun violence any differently.
As I strongly share your priority, and as Ranking Member on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I look forward to working with you and the Department on the critical areas of research and prevention. To begin this process, I request a staff briefing in order to understand how HHS, CDC, and NIH plan to prioritize research into gun violence prevention efforts. Please also provide the following documents and responses by no later than March 6, 2018:
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. If you have any questions, or would like to further discuss compliance with this request, please contact Andi Fristedt or Elizabeth Letter with my Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee staff at (202) 224-0767.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
Ranking Member, Senate Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee
