Seeking To Answer Unknowns Of Gun Violence, Institute Of Medicine Outlines Research Agenda : Policy/Biz : Medical Daily

Although polar opponents on either side of the American gun control debate often pose their arguments as peer-reviewed fact, surprisingly little research has been done on the subject.

Consequently, a lot remains unknown. Gun safety technologies such as iris scans and gun-activating magnetic stripe badges are currently available. But would their use reduce gun injuries and deaths in the real world? And, if so, why? Also, what precisely is the long-term relationship between exposure to media violence and real-life gun violence?

Due to a strong influence from the pro-gun lobby, federally funded researchers have been effectively silenced in recent decades from exploring the science of gun violence, leaving questions lingering for nearly a generation — until now. Following the mass-shooting in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 young children and six educators, President Barack Obama issued 23 executive orders to address gun violence in American society, with more than 8,000 murders by firearm in the U.S. in 2010.

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