{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://lowey.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-lowey-price-kelly-quigley-murphy-delauro-lead-letter-urging-house", "Reps. Lowey, Price, Kelly, Quigley, Murphy, DeLauro Lead Letter Urging House Leadership Not to Restrict Gun Violence Research in Spending Package", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "NY", "Nita Lowey", "L000480", "lowey.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC\u00a0\u2013 Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY), David Price (D-NC), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), today sent a letter to House leadership urging them to oppose language in the final FY18 appropriations package that would restrict the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from conducting gun violence research.\n\u201cAlthough Members of Congress may disagree about how best to respond to the high incidence of gun violence, we should all be able to agree that our response should be informed by sound scientific evidence,\u201d the 121 signatories wrote. \u201cInstead of continuing with the status quo, let\u2019s allow the research community to investigate evidence-based solutions that could help prevent gun violence while still protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners.\u201d\nIn addition to protecting public health and safety through prevention of disease, the CDC also conducts research to prevent injury or illness such as drowning, intimate partner violence, opioid addiction, and motor vehicle injuries. However, since 1996, language referred to as the \u201cDickey Amendment\u201d has been included in annual appropriations bills that fund the CDC, which places a chilling effect on the CDC\u2019s ability to conduct high-quality, peer-reviewed research about gun violence prevention.\n\u201cThis is a matter of life and death,\u201d said Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY-17), Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee. \u201cTens of thousands of Americans lose their lives to gun violence every year, yet for decades annual appropriations bills have weakened our ability to figure out how we can prevent these tragedies. Restricting research because of concerns about the outcome is cowardly and wrong. It\u2019s time we thaw the freeze on gun violence research and equip policymakers with the information to confront this public health crisis.\u201d\n\u201cDespite the frequency of gun violence in the U.S., we know that the violent tragedies so many families and communities across the nation are experiencing are not inevitable,\u201d said Congressman Price, Vice Chair of the House Democrats Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. \u201cAllowing the CDC to conduct research into gun violence, just as it does with other preventable causes of injury and death, will give citizens and lawmakers the tools they need to understand and confront the horrible epidemic of gun violence that is devastating our country.\u201d\n\u201cFor decades, the Dickey Amendment has silenced lifesaving research and suppressed the policy dialogue around common sense laws that can save American lives,\u201d said Congresswoman Kelly, Vice Chair of the House Democrats Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. \u201cIt\u2019s time to let the science and research speak for itself so policymakers can enact the best policies to protect American families.\u201d\n\u201cThere is absolutely no reason to restrict the CDC from studying the rampant gun violence epidemic that devastates communities across the country, including in my hometown of Chicago,\u201d said Congressman Quigley, member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. \u201cConducting research about this issue is an easy\u2014and obvious\u2014first step to equip us with a deeper understanding of the actions we can take and policies we can enact to save lives. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in urging Republican leadership to break with the status quo, encourage scientific research, and elevate the debate on gun violence prevention.\u201d\n\u201cGun-related incidents claim the lives of too many people and tear apart too many families.\u00a0 In deciding how best to confront this challenge, we should encourage evidence-based research into the causes of gun incidents and find commonsense, bipartisan ways to reduce gun deaths and injuries,\u201d said Congresswoman Murphy. \u201cKeeping our families safe from senseless gun violence while upholding the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans should not be mutually exclusive goals. It is past time that Congress have an honest, fact-based discussion about commonsense gun reform.\u201d\n\u201cIn the five years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, there have been 500,000 victims and survivors of gun violence in the United States, \u201c said Congresswoman DeLauro. \u201cWe must honor their lives with action and prevent further gun violence. The CDC should be able to study this issue just as they would any other public health crisis\u2014it is logical and morally responsible.\u201d\nThe full text of the letter can be found here. \n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://lowey.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-lowey-price-kelly-quigley-murphy-delauro-lead-letter-urging-house"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4035848435014486, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}