BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, yet research on firearm injury prevention receives significantly less federal funding compared to other major pediatric health concerns. A new paper published in Pediatrics underscores the critical need for an enhanced federal investment in firearm injury prevention research to address the rising rates of fatalities and injuries.
"Expanding the field of firearm injury prevention research is crucial to reverse the devastating trends of firearm violence in the United States," says lead author Lois Lee, MD, MPH , from the Division of Emergency Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital. "Increased funding will enable researchers to develop diverse, multi-disciplinary research infrastructure to better understand the risks and protective factors of firearm violence, design community, hospital, and school-based interventions, and create comprehensive databases to inform policy and reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths."
Historical data analysis conducted by Alex Butler, MD, Chief Resident at Boston Children's Hospital, reveals the limited federal funding patterns for firearm injury prevention research. In the early 1990s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded rigorous research on firearms, but the passage of the Dickey Amendment in 1996 restricted federal funding for gun violence research. In response to rising mass shootings in the 2000s, Congress allocated $25 million in 2020 for firearm injury prevention research, divided equally between the CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, funding has remained stagnant at this level through 2024.
The authors draw a parallel to compare the substantial progress made in pediatric cancer research, which federal funding has significantly supported. Over the past 25 years, this investment has led to major advancements that have resulted in a 30% reduction in childhood cancer fatality rates and significant improvements in the quality of life for children during and after treatment. "Federal investment has driven major progress in fields like pediatric cancer and motor vehicle safety," said senior author Nancy Andrews, MD, PhD , Chief Scientific Officer at Boston Children's Hospital. "A similar commitment to firearm injury prevention research is essential to addressing this public health crisis."
