U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Rochelle Walensky, the director of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is putting out the call for increased studies into gun-related issues. Dr. Walensky told CNN the issue of criminal misuse of firearms is a “serious public health threat” adding, “something has to be done about this.”
Dr. Walensky’s said she even wants to include gun owners. So far, Dr. Walensky hasn’t contacted NSSF. If she does, we have a few ideas that work to reduce the criminal acquisition and misuse of firearms, firearm suicides, and firearm safety called Real Solutions. Safer Communities.
Real Solutions
Those are programs with proven results. Within Real Solutions is the firearm industry’s FixNICS campaign, that changed laws in 16 states and in Congress to ensure all disqualifying adjudicated mental health and criminal records are submitted to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Started in 2013 when there were just 1.7 million records submitted, FixNICS changed the laws in those 16 states. Today, there are over 6.14 million submitted disqualifying adjudicated mental health records, a 270 percent increase.
The firearm industry’s Project ChildSafe forged partnerships with 15,000 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states and five U.S. territories to distribute over 40 million free firearm safety kits, including locking devices. This program has been heralded by the Government Accountability Office for its’ efficacy and was a finalist for the National Safety Council’s Green Cross awards.
The firearm industry partnered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) for the “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” campaign to prevent illegal straw purchases. This two-decade-old outreach reminds the public that purchasing a firearm for someone who can’t, or doesn’t want to be associated with the sale, is a federal crime that carries a punishment of 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine. Another ATF-partner program, Operation Secure Store, voluntarily increases security at firearm retailers to deter and prevent thefts and burglaries. The ATF showed this program works, with a 61 percent drop in instances of thefts and burglaries in the first six months of 2021 compared to 2020 and a 74 percent drop in the number of stolen firearms.
The firearm industry also partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to provide information to firearm retailers and ranges to urge “brave conversations” to prevent suicides by firearm. This partnership was extended to include the Department of Veterans Affairs to stem and reverse the instances of suicides.
These are programs proven to reduce the criminal and negligent misuse of firearms. NSSF has stated previously and stands by the commitment to sit at the table to discuss ways to reduce criminal access to firearms and improve firearm safety in the home while respecting the rights of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms.
Ongoing Examination
The CDC has studied firearm issues for years. It has a program that tracks firearm-related injuries, called Web-based Injury Statistics Query Reporting System (WISQARS). It recently showed that, while always tragic, deaths of children under four involving a firearm were less than one percent.
The Dickey Amendment doesn’t halt gun-related-related CDC studies. Congress passed the Dickey Amendment and recently reaffirmed it, to restrict the CDC from advocating for gun control, which was occurring. The CDC never stopped studies, including examinations of guns and suicide, noise and lead exposure at ranges, firearm violence prevention in Wilmington, Del., and a report on firearms homicides and suicides in metropolitan areas. That doesn’t include studies by the FBI, Department of Justice and Congressional studies. President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order in 2013 directing $10 million in “gun violence” research.
The CDC announced research grants in 2020 “to Prevent Firearm-Related Violence and Injuries.” The CDC has an entire section of their website dedicated to “Firearm Violence Prevention” and another section dedicated to “Funded Research.”
Warning Labels
The fact of the matter is criminal misuse of firearms is a concern; one that law enforcement and the courts must address. The insistence of treating criminal activity as a sort of pathogen doesn’t properly address the issue. The mere presence of a firearm doesn’t make law-abiding citizens criminals-in-waiting. Additionally, education efforts, like those championed by the firearm industry, are proven to reduce negligent firearm misuse.
“Let’s agree, we don’t want people to die. Let’s just agree there. What can we do to stop people from dying, and what can we do to stop people from being injured,” Dr. Walensky told CNN.
NSSF is just as frustrated that real firearm safety measures have become a political football, but that’s not always the case. The firearm industry worked with Congress to pass the FIX NICS Act. This was legislation modeled on NSSF’s FixNICS campaign. This law compelled federal agencies and incentivized states to submit all disqualifying background information to the FBI. The federal legislation had 78 Senate co-sponsors, a clear indication that true firearm safety is where both sides can agree. It was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote and signed into law by President Donald Trump. The Department of Justice applauded the law for making significant strides in proving background checks.
This has been done before and more work can be done. The firearm industry trade association is ready if the CDC is serious.
About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org
These people have no business looking into gun uses, they need to stick to diseases and the prevention and cure’s.
They sure don’t have a good track record with either prevention or cure’s, so they don’t need to stick their nose in gun issue’s as it isn’t a disease.
The CDC was founded to help fight malaria. Having not had a good case of malaria in a while I vote for the CDC to be disbanded. They have just become a part of the Democrat Bureau of Disinformation.
Trump was the first president in 24 years to fund the CDC to study “gun violence.” He signed the spending bill shortly after he flip-flopped on his campaign promise to be pro-2nd Amendment: https://www.c-span.org/video/?441884-1/president-trump-calls-comprehensive-gun-bill He flip-flopped because he believed he had most of the vocal firearm owners in the bag and he wanted to chase more votes from white suburban women. There are no presidential candidates (of any party) who have the courage to discuss the underlying driver of violent crime. They don’t need to – most firearm owners are hero-worshipping idiots who will vote for anyone who calls Democrats… Read more »
Why would the NSSF want the CDC to call them? Have they become the new Compromising NRA? They support the NICS and want fraudulent info sent to the govt. sounds like it.
Remember that in “new science” one tailors the experiment to generate the evidence that supports the pre-conceived hypothesis.
Consulting with those already familiar with proven working solutions would not help her case for generating funding that would lead in a different direction than the one she has already chosen.
denying someone rights is not PROOF that their program worked. lol
It is if they intended to deprive you of those rights, which they certainly do.
Hegelian dialectic pseudo science dogma for sure.
The CDC should look into social demographics to see who exactly and where exactly the bulk of shooting statistics are being generated and then see what could be done about enforcing the end of all these shootings, and concentrate their efforts on the people committing the crimes.
. . . AND BACK THE “F” OFF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!
And this article is why “pro-gun” organizations will never get my money or support again.
When government truly decides who gets to exercise their God-given right to bear arms, then you can be sure that ONLY criminals are armed.
cdc center for demoncrat control , it is nothing to do with health just wealth control and power and if the were successful at fighting malaria there would be a good mixed drink named for them gin and tonic anyone?
Pseudo-science Hegelian dialectic is gestalt dogma used to synthesize & manufacture a predetermined scripted narrative to hoodwink the emotional Barking Moonbats (also called an Amygdala Hi-Jack) that cannot critical think or even construct a cogent or abstract “meme”.
What’s a meme ?
https://www.britannica.com/topic/meme
This covert & recent link should concern every American:
https://www.indeed.com/q-Internment-Resettlement-Specialist-jobs.html