# Gun Safety Board and Research Act

This bill creates a new government organization called the Gun Safety Board within the Department of Health and Human Services to study gun violence and recommend ways to reduce it. The board would have 22 members with different backgrounds—including public health experts, trauma surgeons, law enforcement officers, gun owners, and people who've been affected by gun violence—all working together to understand what causes gun violence and what actually works to prevent it.

The board's main job would be to fund and conduct research on gun violence reduction, then publish its findings and recommendations at least once a year. This research would cover a wide range of topics: suicide prevention, domestic violence, mass shootings, school shootings, gang violence, gun trafficking, and even the economic costs of gun injuries to hospitals and communities. The board would also look at whether existing gun laws actually work and evaluate proposed new laws based on scientific evidence. At least half of the board's funding would go to grants that researchers and organizations can apply for to study these issues or educate the public about gun violence prevention.

The bill would provide $5 million per year for the first two years to get the board up and running, then $25 million annually after that. This is essentially creating a dedicated research and advisory body focused specifically on understanding gun violence through science rather than politics. The bill includes people with different perspectives—including someone from the gun industry or with recreational shooting experience—so the research and recommendations would come from a diverse group rather than one viewpoint.