There were several other funding increases and efforts included in the final bill. They did agree to strip out a Congressman Jay Dickey (R-AR) from 1996 which had a chilling effect on CDC research on gun violence. Although the original language did not specifically ban CDC research in this area, at the time in 1996 and for years since, it has sent a signal to the CDC not to research in this area. It was a key and subtle way that some of the gun lobby has worked. Some doubt that the CDC will now step up the research in this Administration.
Another important fix was enough funding to expand the National Violent Death Reporting System to all fifty states to give CDC and communities a better understanding of violent deaths within their communities and to allow for better strategies. It was created in 2002. The NIC-FIX. This was legislation to fix problems in the background checks system for gun purchasers. It had been passed in the House, but that bill was attached to a bill that would allow people to bring concealed weapons if they were legal in their home state. That provision did not make it into the bill.
