Res 0474-2018

By Council Members Dromm, Ampry-Samuel and Miller Whereas, In 1996 the United States Congress voted to prohibit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from funding research that may be used to "advocate or promote" gun control; and Whereas, The National Rifle Association lobbied for this provision, known as the Dickey Amendment, based on bias they perceived in a CDC funded study published in 1993, which found guns in the home were associated with an increased risk of homicide; and Whereas, The CDC interprets this ban to extend to all research on gun violence prevention, and as such has not funded any relatable research since; and Whereas, Over the years, several organizations including the American Psychological Association, Doctors for America, the American College of Preventive Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Association of Science have called for the Dickey Amendment to be repealed; and Whereas, On March 23, 2018 President Donald Trump signed an omnibus spending bill into law that added language clarifying that the CDC can, in fact, conduct research into gun violence; and Whereas, While the omnibus spending bill clarified the CDC's role, it did not explicitly repeal the Dickey Amendment, which limits the agency's ability to fund research that may promote or advocate for gun control; and Whereas, H.R1478 known as the "Gun Violence Research Act," sponsored by U.S Representative Stephanie Murphy, repeals the provision that in practice prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services, including the CDC, from sponsoring research on gun violence and for other purposes; and Whereas, Limiting any agency's ability to sponsor evidence-based research that examines the causes of gun violence and identifies methods to reduce gun-related fatalities and injuries threatens the safety of the City of New York and our ability to find a solution to gun violence; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the U.S. Congress to pass and the President to sign the Gun Violence Research Act (H.R. 1478), which would repeal the Dickey Amendment and restore the ability of the federal government to fund gun violence research. LS #6168 07/07/18 CMA