University of California president, Janet Napolitano, announced that the nation’s first center dedicated to studying gun violence as a health issue, the University of California Firearm Violence Research Center, will launch on the UC Davis campus in Sacramento.
According to California Health Report, state lawmakers designated $5 million to launch the center. Napolitano said:
The state’s decision to provide public funding for a center to study firearm violence — the first of its kind in the nation — demonstrates great leadership by the state and presents a unique opportunity for the University of California to be at the forefront of researching a growing public health issue.
While researchers at the Sacramento campus will be the driving force behind looking at guns through the prism of public health, Napolitano “expects scientists at the other UC campuses to contribute to the research,” as well.
“The center will train post-doctoral researchers, such as epidemiologists or physicians, who want to study violence. And it will issue small grants to scientists across the country who are conducting firearm-violence prevention research.” The center will be guided by “an advisory board,” which consists of elected officials, law enforcement personnel, and academics.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.