Gun violence legislation would expand research, collaborations

(The Center Square) – Federal legislation to establish a gun violence research program, with funds for projects, is being sought by Democratic North Carolina U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee.

If successful getting through the Republican majority chamber, the projects would examine the nature, root causes, consequences and prevention of gun violence.

Foushee, in a statement, said, “More than 120 Americans are killed by gun violence each day, including at least two deaths a day in my district alone. Communities across the country have suffered from our nation’s gun violence epidemic for far too long, and it is imperative that the federal government responds and acts urgently to save lives and keep our communities safe.”

Foushee has a seat on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force in the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Her 4th Congressional District includes Durham, Burlington and a corridor north from those communities around U.S. 501 to the Virginia border.

“This bill,” Foushee says, “will help turn critical data and research findings into real, lifesaving policies and solutions, equipping us with the tools necessary to address and fully confront this growing public health crisis.”

If passed, a release says, the legislation in part could award grants to higher ed and nonprofits for research; expand the pool of researchers and “improve interagency planning and coordination of federal government activities relating to gun violence research”; and give promotional direction to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Foushee, in a release, says gun-related deaths in America are 11 times greater than other higher-income nations. She says Black Americans are 13 times more likely to die from gun homicides than white Americans, according to 2021 statistics.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, an appointee of President Joe Biden, in July declared firearm violence “a public health crisis.”

Endorsements have poured in from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence; Everytown for Gun Safety; Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology; Giffords; March For Our Lives; March Fourth; MomsRising; National Hispanic Health Foundation; Newtown Action Alliance; and North Carolinians Against Gun Violence.

Foushee was joined in making the announcement by Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., and Don Beyer, D-Va. The 26 cosponsors include North Carolina Reps. Alma Adams, Jeff Jackson and Deborah Ross.