Chris Cox: Why we can't trust the CDC with gun research

It's not public safety that gun-research advocates really care about.

Anti-gun lawmakers have embarked on a national gun control campaign backed by New York City billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Realizing that many of their constituents do not support more gun control, anti-gun advocates in Congress are looking for creative methods to change public opinion. What better way than under the auspices of science?

That is what is behind the renewed call for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding to “research gun violence.” It’s not objective data gun control advocates seek. They have a pre-determined outcome. Now, they just need some government-sponsored, taxpayer-funded data points to validate their anti-gun agenda.

How do we know this? They’ve done it before. And it’s fair to make the assumption they’ll do it again by simply looking at who is behind these calls – the most rabid anti-gun politicians in the country.

Let’s be clear, the National Rifle Association is not opposed to research that would encourage the safe and responsible use of firearms and reduce the numbers of firearm-related deaths. Safety has been at the core of the NRA’s mission since its inception. But that is not the goal of the gun control advocates who are behind the calls for CDC funding.

Click here to read the entire op-ed at Politico.com.