Meet the doctor who gave $1 million of his own money to keep his gun research going

[LuckyTheDog]

Federal funding for research on gun violence has been restricted for nearly two decades. President Obama urged Congress to allocate $10 million for new research after the Newtown school shooting. But House Republicans say they won’t approve it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s budget still lists zero dollars for research on gun violence prevention.

One of the researchers who lost funding in the political battle over studying firearms was Dr. Garen Wintemute, a professor of emergency medicine who runs the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis. Wintemute is, by his own count, one of only a dozen researchers across the country who have continued to focus full-time on firearms violence.

To keep his research going, Wintemute has donated his own money, as the science journal Nature noted in a profile of him last year. As of the end of 2013, he has donated about $1.1 million, according to Kathryn Keyes, a fundraiser at UC Davis’ development office. His work has also continued to get funding from some foundations and the state of California.

MORE HERE: http://wonkynewsnerd.com/doctor-gave-1-million-to-keep-gun-research-going/

[badtoworse]

1. If his work focuses on restricting gun rights, he should pay for it himself.

[frylock]

2. i think his work is focused on restricting killing..

what are you, the house republicans, and the NRA afraid of here?

[LuckyTheDog]

3. Why is ignorance better than knowledge in this case?

Or, actually, in ANY case?

[badtoworse]

4. The issue is who pays for the knowledge

If his goal is to build a case for infringing on 2nd Amendment rights, then I don't want tax dollars used for that purpose.

[LuckyTheDog]

5. The goal is to reduce death

So, your point is kind of meaningless.

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Because the right to increase gunshot wounds is inalienable.

You do understand that there is a lot of room for restricting access to guns without infringing on 2A, right?

You're probably also aware that unlike most other public health issues, there is precious little unbiased research on the causes and costs of gun violence, thanks to lobbying groups like the NRA.

[badtoworse]

7. At least we agree on one thing - there is precious little unbiased research

That said, it's my view that the people whose agenda the research is intended to butress, should pay for the research. Sarah Brady or Bloomberg should pick up the tab for this.