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PRINTER'S NO. 1614
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
291
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY FARNESE, HUGHES, SCHWANK AND LEACH, MARCH 28, 2018
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, MARCH 28, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Requesting that the Congress of the United States repeal the
Dickey Amendment and supporting Federal funding for gun
violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
WHEREAS, Gun violence is a public health crisis that
continues to plague the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the
nation; and
WHEREAS, In 2017, the United States saw a total of 346 mass
shooting incidents; and
WHEREAS, An alarming number of mass shooting incidents, 46,
have occurred across the nation since January 1, 2018; and
WHEREAS, According to data from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), the national death rate resulting
from firearms in 2016 was 11.8 deaths per 100,000 population;
and
WHEREAS, In 2016, the death rate resulting from firearms in
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 12 deaths per 100,000
population, was above the national average; and
WHEREAS, In 2016, neighboring states such as Delaware, New
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Jersey, New York and Maryland had death rates resulting from
firearms below that of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, The death rate resulting from firearms in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as compiled by the CDC also
exceeded the national average in 2005, 2014 and 2015; and
WHEREAS, For the decade ending in 2010, 12,941 deaths by
firearm occurred in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a number
constituting the fourth highest in the nation; and
WHEREAS, In 2010, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had the
fifth highest rate of firearm-related deaths among children in
the United States; and
WHEREAS, Every two days, three people in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania are killed by a firearm; and
WHEREAS, According to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Research Institute, there were 1,217 firearm-related injuries in
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2014; and
WHEREAS, Nearly half of these injuries occurred among persons
under 25 years of age; and
WHEREAS, Between 2006 and 2015, more than 14,500 persons were
shot in the City of Philadelphia, a rate of one shooting every
six hours; and
WHEREAS, During that period, approximately 83% of homicide
deaths in the City of Philadelphia were due to firearms; and
WHEREAS, Public Law 104-208 was enacted on September 30,
1996; and
WHEREAS, This Federal statute includes a provision
restricting the use of Federal funding for the CDC: "Provided
further, That none of the funds made available for injury
prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control"; and
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WHEREAS, This restriction on the use of CDC funds is referred
to as the Dickey Amendment; and
WHEREAS, Under the Dickey Amendment, the CDC has ceased its
research into the root causes of gun violence in the United
States; and
WHEREAS, In an October 2015 National Public Radio interview,
former Representative Jay Dickey of Arkansas, the sponsor of the
Dickey Amendment, stated his regret that the amendment cut off
gun violence research and went on to clarify his intent that the
amendment not prohibit this research; and
WHEREAS, Government funding of research and the compilation
of data and other scientific evidence identifying the root
causes of gun violence is critical to providing Federal, State
and local policymakers with a foundation on which to make
informed decisions when crafting sound gun violence prevention
policies and programs; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
request that the Congress of the United States repeal the Dickey
Amendment and reauthorize the CDC to research the root causes of
gun violence in the United States; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate
and the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the United States
House of Representatives; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
the Governor of Pennsylvania and the members of the Pennsylvania
Congressional Delegation.
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