CDC Returns to Gun Violence Research

CDC Returns to Gun Violence Research

(DailyDig.com) – Firearms spark controversy nearly every time someone talks about them. Proponents argue that any action to regulate them is a violation of the Constitution and our Second Amendment. Others argue that violence involving guns is an epidemic that lawmakers need to address with stricter laws.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is seeking to restart a gun violence research program, Rochelle Walensky, the organization’s director, told CNN in an exclusive interview. Some people may wonder why the CDC, which works to prevent illness and pathogenic threats, is talking about firearms.

Director Walensky says it’s the CDC’s job to protect the health of all Americans, and with 40,000 gun deaths per year and 120,000 more serious gun-related injuries, firearms are a public health problem.

The CDC’s ability to make potential changes to constitutional and policy issues remains a topic of debate. However, the director made it clear that she doesn’t want to attack gun owning citizens. Instead, she says she wants to work with them, learn from them and pass their knowledge on to others — a drastically different approach from previous Democratic attempts.

To Director Walensky, this isn’t a matter of gun control. She doesn’t want any changes to affect law-abiding citizens, and she wants to help the community learn gun safety and help shops identify individuals with ill-intent. She asserted that the approach is about finding effective, realistic ways to end gun violence and gun deaths.

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