In 1996, The U.S. Congress passed an omnibus bill that included what became known as the “Dickey Amendment,” which effectively stifled CDC-funded research on gun violence. The amendment, backed by the National Rifle Association, mandated that “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may be used to advocate or promote gun control.”
At the time, according to the ruling, the CDC considered firearm violence to be a public health issue and funded studies that aimed to reduce firearm deaths and injuries. But the Dickey Amendment put a stop to that and prevented the use of federal funding to advocate for or promote gun control. At the time, the NRA accused the CDC of being biased against guns and had Rep. Jay Dickey of Arkansas introduce the provision preventing the spending on research.
Only recently has the federal government resumed funding firearm violence research.