Research on gun violence thwarted in U.S.: report

People visit the two-day gun show organized by Dallas Arms Collectors Association in Dallas, Texas, the United States, Nov. 30, 2019. (Photo by Dan Tian/Xinhua)

"Two decades without these critical investments has left us myriad open questions about the effects of gun policies," says Scientific American.

NEW YORK, June 24 (Xinhua) -- For more than 20 years, the U.S. federal government failed to properly support research into gun violence, reported Scientific American on Thursday.

"We spent about 63 U.S. dollars in research dollars per life lost to gun violence, compared to roughly 1,000 dollars per life lost to car crashes and nearly 7,000 dollars per life researching sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection," said the report.

"Two decades without these critical investments has left us myriad open questions about the effects of gun policies," it noted.

More than 45,000 people died from firearm injuries in 2020. Firearms have also become the leading cause of death for children, according to the report.

"These deaths come amid a surge in the domestic sale of firearms. The most recent Small Arms Survey estimates there are nearly 400 million guns in the United States," it added.