{"id":1778597,"date":"2022-12-17T09:32:23","date_gmt":"2022-12-17T14:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1778597"},"modified":"2022-12-17T09:49:14","modified_gmt":"2022-12-17T14:49:14","slug":"gabriella-hoffman-gun-control-groups-have-undue-influence-over-cdc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gabriella-hoffman-gun-control-groups-have-undue-influence-over-cdc\/","title":{"rendered":"Gabriella Hoffman: Gun Control Groups Have Undue Influence Over CDC"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgabriella-hoffman-gun-control-groups-have-undue-influence-over-cdc%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1778597&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/498aee0a-ccec-4e41-aab6-6bec692a5e9c.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\"   style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" id=\"isPasted\">If the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was looking for ways to rebuild trust with the American public, it just squandered an opportunity to redeem itself.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>A new bombshell\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereload.com\/emails-cdc-removed-defensive-gun-use-stats-after-gun-control-advocates-pressured-officials-in-private-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a><span>\u00a0from firearms reporter Stephen Gutowski shows three gun control groups apparently have enormous pull over the embattled agency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>How so? They appear to have successfully lobbied the CDC to omit statistics mentioning instances of defensive gun use.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>Gutowski\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereload.com\/emails-cdc-removed-defensive-gun-use-stats-after-gun-control-advocates-pressured-officials-in-private-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notes<\/a><span>\u00a0in The Reload, \u201cThe Center For Disease Control (CDC) deleted a reference to a study it commissioned after a group of gun-control advocates complained it made passing new restrictions more difficult.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>He\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereload.com\/emails-cdc-removed-defensive-gun-use-stats-after-gun-control-advocates-pressured-officials-in-private-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">added<\/a><span>, \u201cThe lobbying campaign spanned months and culminated with a private meeting between CDC officials and three advocates last summer, a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereload.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC-DGU-Emails-Reload-Redactions.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">collection of emails<\/a><span>\u00a0obtained by The Reload show.\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereload.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC-DGU-meeting-scheduled-after-Durbin-office-intervenes.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Introductions<\/a><span>\u00a0from the White House and Senator Dick Durbin\u2019s (D., Ill.) office helped the advocates reach top officials at the agency after their initial attempt to reach out went unanswered. The advocates focused their complaints on the CDC\u2019s description of its\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nap.nationalacademies.org\/catalog\/18319\/priorities-for-research-to-reduce-the-threat-of-firearm-related-violence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">review of studies<\/a><span>\u00a0that estimated defensive gun uses (DGU) happen between 60,000 and 2.5 million times per year in the United States\u2013attacking criminologist Gary Kleck\u2019s work establishing the top end of the range.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The most updated CDC definition of \u201cdefensive gun use\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/violenceprevention\/firearms\/fastfact.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reads<\/a> like this: \u201cAlthough definitions of defensive gun use vary, it is generally defined as the use of a firearm to protect and defend oneself, family, other people, and\/or property against crime or victimization. Estimates of defensive gun use vary depending on the questions asked, populations studied, timeframe, and other factors related to study design. Given the wide variability in estimates, additional research is necessary to understand defensive gun use prevalence, frequency, circumstances, and outcomes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>The aforementioned Professor Gary Kleck\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereload.com\/emails-cdc-removed-defensive-gun-use-stats-after-gun-control-advocates-pressured-officials-in-private-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a><span>\u00a0The Reload he felt slighted by the CDC, accusing them of doing the gun control movement\u2019s bidding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>\u201cCDC is just aligning itself with the gun-control advocacy groups,\u201d Kleck\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereload.com\/emails-cdc-removed-defensive-gun-use-stats-after-gun-control-advocates-pressured-officials-in-private-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a><span>. \u201cIt\u2019s just saying: \u2018we are their tool, and we will do their bidding.\u2019 And that\u2019s not what a government agency should do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>Gutowski\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereload.com\/emails-cdc-removed-defensive-gun-use-stats-after-gun-control-advocates-pressured-officials-in-private-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">explains<\/a><span>\u00a0this revelation \u201cmay further strain its relationship with Congressional overseers, especially pro-gun Republicans who are set to take control of the House next year.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>Omitting defensive gun use instances is unscientific and detrimental to discourse. A September 2022 survey\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2022\/09\/09\/the-largest-ever-survey-of-american-gun-owners-finds-that-defensive-use-of-firearms-is-common\/#:~:text=The%20largest%20and%20most%20comprehensive,1.7%20million%20times%20a%20year.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">commissioned<\/a><span>\u00a0by Georgetown University political economist William English found firearms were\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4109494\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">used<\/a><span>\u00a0for defensive purposes a whopping 1.7 million times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>Amy Swearer, a legal studies fellow at the Heritage Foundation who reports on defensive gun uses and manages their\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/datavisualizations.heritage.org\/firearms\/defensive-gun-uses-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Defensive Gun Usage<\/a><span>\u00a0tracker, tweeted her dismay with this decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>\u201cThe CDC acknowledged that its website&#8217;s treatment of the scholarship on defensive gun use was solid and that gun control advocates&#8217; complaints were unfounded. It scrubbed the DGU portion anyway, because the agency has no backbone or integrity when it comes to gun violence,\u201d Swearer\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmySwearer\/status\/1603409317805301764\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tweeted<\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>She\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmySwearer\/status\/1603409327544467459\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">added<\/a><span>, \u201cIt&#8217;s disgraceful that any government agency would be willing to play ball with such a group of intellectually dishonest scoundrels, much less become an active participant in the skullduggery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>This isn\u2019t the first time gun control groups appear to be influencing the CDC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>There\u2019s a concerted effort by Congressional Democrats to study the health effects of gun violence by repealing the Dickey Amendment. In \u00a0doing so, it gives \u00a0gun control groups ammunition to force their agenda on the medical profession. At minimum, this revocation of the Dickey Amendment would invite partisan doctors to ask deeply personal questions of their patients relating to firearms ownership. If these doctors hear an answer they don\u2019t like, they could deny gun-owning patients medical treatment altogether or worse\u2014submit sensitive information about them to get them red flagged in states with obtuse extreme risk protection orders (ERPO) laws.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>Named after Rep. Jay Dickey (R-AR)\u2013who\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2015\/10\/09\/447098666\/ex-rep-dickey-regrets-restrictive-law-on-gun-violence-research\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">backtracked<\/a><span>\u00a0support for it prior to his death in 2017\u2013it passed as a rider to a 1996 omnibus bill,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/PLAW-104publ208\/pdf\/PLAW-104publ208.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stipulating<\/a><span>, \u201cnone of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may be used to advocate or promote gun control.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>I\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/m.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2016\/apr\/18\/gabriella-hoffman-gun-questions-overshoot-the-medi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">argued<\/a><span>\u00a0in a 2016 Washington Times column that doctors shouldn\u2019t weaponize gun ownership against their patients, writing, \u201cThe CDC is a federal agency under the duress of the Department of Health and Human Services tasked with fighting diseases that \u201cstart at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack,\u201d its website says. How does gun safety fit into the CDC\u2019s mission? It doesn\u2019t, since gun use isn\u2019t a disease or an illness. Rather, it\u2019s a personal choice and inalienable right afforded to us by the U.S. Constitution.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drgo.us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership<\/a><span>,a nationwide watchdog group of physicians and other health professionals educating their industry and the public about responsible gun use, have long combatted gun control in the medical profession.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>Last year, the organization\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drgo.us\/the-cdcs-forever-war-on-gun-owners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lambasted<\/a><span>\u00a0CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky for calling for \u201cresearch\u201d \u2013by extension, ending the Dickey Amendment \u2013 and straying away from its mission of combating and preventing infectious diseases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>When House Republicans assume control in January, they need to thoroughly probe the CDC not only for its mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic but also for its apparent entanglement with gun control groups.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span>It\u2019s imperative they protect medical freedom for all Americans\u2014including lawful, gun-owning ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was looking for ways to rebuild trust with the American public, it just squandered an opportunity to redeem itself.A new bombshell\u00a0report\u00a0from firearms reporter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1778600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[5458,5097,4154,9891,7012,9890,6219,3819,9889],"class_list":["post-1778597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-bongino","tag-cdc","tag-control","tag-gabriella","tag-gun","tag-hoffman","tag-influence","tag-report","tag-undue"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1778597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1778597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1778597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1778600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1778597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1778597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1778597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}