Congresswoman Pingree Cosponsors Bill to Fund Gun Violence Prevention Research at the CDC

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today cosponsored the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act to fund research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on firearms safety and gun violence prevention. The legislation would authorize $50 million in funding each fiscal year for the next five years at the CDC to study gun violence. According to the Gun Violence Archive, at least 43,495 people lost their lives due to gun violence in 2020 as firearms sales have surged during the coronavirus pandemic.

"2020 marked the deadliest year for gun violence in the last 20 years. The time is now to take meaningful action and end the epidemic of gun violence in America. If we fully fund research that treats gun violence like the public health issue it is, we'll be able to implement data-driven, evidence-based solutions to save thousands of lives," said Pingree.

Gun safety groups endorsing the legislation include: Stop Hand Gun Violence, March for Our Lives, Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, CeaseFire PA, North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, States United to Prevent Gun Violence, States United to Prevent Gun Violence, Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence, Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence, Women Against Gun Violence (CA), Arizonans for Gun Safety, Iowans for Gun Safety, Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence, Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, Colorado Ceasefire, Gun Sense NH, a project of Granite State Progress, Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, MOKS Grandparents Against Gun Violence, Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, Safe Tennessee Project, Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Educational Fund, and Women Against Gun Violence.

Pingree has long advocated for legislation to address the nation's epidemic of gun violence. She voted in support of H.R. 8, the bipartisan Background Checks Act, in the 116th Congress and proudly participated in the 2016 U.S. House of Representatives sit-in in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting alongside Representative John Lewis.

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