Giffords Applauds Governor Phil Murphy For Funding Gun Violence Research In Budget

Washington, DC — Today, Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, applauded Governor Phil Murphy for committing to fund gun violence research in his New Jersey budget address. Firearm violence research centers are intended to expand the scientific evidence on which to base effective violence prevention efforts.

About Gun Violence Research Centers

Gun violence is a public health and public safety crisis, resulting in over 33,000 deaths and 80,000 non-fatal firearm injuries in the United States each year. However, federal funding for firearm violence research through the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been virtually eliminated by Congress since 1996. Thus, there is a major gap in what is known about the causes of firearm violence, the consequences of firearm violence, and the effectiveness of gun violence prevention and intervention strategies. State-funded research can help fill the void left by the federal government and provide support for scientific research upon which effective firearm violence prevention efforts can be based.

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