# Studying Firearm Related Violence **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 4, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studying-firearm-related-violence/689994 "2014-06-04T04:48:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 2
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studying-firearm-related-violence/689994/2 "2014-06-04T12:04:56Z")
My sense is that Slate mischaracterized the report with item #5. That is, one might read that and think that the report suggests mass shootings are not A problem. The report instead sees mass shootings as a large problem, but one that is proportionally smaller than the overall problem with firearm violence. For example, the report states > [@](#): > > Mass shootings are part of a larger, complex firearm violence burden that encompasses nonfatal and unintentional injuries, homicides, suicides and crimes involving firearms. I think that Slate should have been more surprised by the efforts that have been undertaken to limit the research needed to answer these questions. The report states: > [@](#): > > In addition to the restrictions on certain kids of data collection, congressional action in 1996 effectively halted all firearm-related injury research at the CDC […] In 2011, Congress enacted similar restrictions affecting the entire U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The net result was an overall reduction in firearm violence research (Kellerman and Rivara, 2013). As a result, the past 20 years have witnessed diminished progress in understanding the causes and effects of firearm violence. My sense is that most people don’t realize that researchers have been proactively and explicitly prevented from studying this topic. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studying-firearm-related-violence/689994)._