Nearly 40,000 people in the U.S. die from firearm-related deaths each year, primarily from suicide (60%) or homicide (37%), and many more have experienced non-fatal firearm injuries, both intentional and nonintentional.  The Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the FY2020 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1865) included funding for the NIH to conduct research on firearm injury and mortality prevention and recommended that NIH take a comprehensive approach to studying the underlying causes and evidence-based methods of prevention of firearm injury, including crime prevention.  Within the legislative mandates and limitations of NIH funding (NOT-OD-20-068, NOT-OD-20-066), the NIH encourages research to improve understanding of the determinants of firearm injury, the identification of those at risk of firearm injury (including both victims and perpetrators), the development and evaluation of innovative interventions to prevent firearm injury and mortality, and the examination of approaches to improve the implementation of existing, evidence-based interventions to prevent firearm injury and mortality.

For more information:
NOT-OD-20-089: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Competitive Revisions for Firearms Injury and Mortality Prevention Research:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-089.html
PAR-20-143: Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research (R61 Clinical Trial Optional):
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-20-143.html