CDC Overcomes Political Obstacles to Tackle Gun Injuries in States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing funding to states to address gun injuries and improve public health approaches to the problem. A federal rule from 1996 had limited the CDC's ability to collect granular information on gun injuries, hindering efforts to address the tens of thousands of gun deaths in the United States each year. However, starting in 2020, nine states and the District of Columbia received funding to set up pilot programs to collect and disseminate near real-time data on firearm injuries. This data has been used to create public service campaigns and inform prevention programs. The hope is that faster availability of firearm injury data will lead to more effective interventions and ultimately save lives.