Second Amendment leaders press DOGE to stop health agencies’ gun control studies

Elon Musk is used to being vilified by the left, particularly since he was tasked by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in trimming the waste, fraud and abuse that has bloated federal government.

Now, one section of the citizenry is actually asking him to push harder: Second Amendment advocates are asking him to block taxpayer-funded health agencies from spending millions on gun control research. 

There has been legislation -- called the Dickey Amendment -- on the books since 1997 that provides a clear pathway for DOGE to remove tens of millions of dollars spent by agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on gun control research and grants. That law had been followed until 2018, when Congress “clarified” the rider. Resulting in something closer to rescission than clarification, in 2020, the federal omnibus spending bill presented to President Biden earmarked the first funding for such expenditures since 1996.

Dickey Amendment revival stalled

Last year, Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, revived efforts to stop such research through an amendment to the appropriations package for the Labor, Human Services, and Education departments. It specifically stipulated that “none of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct or support any firearm injury and mortality prevention research.” Miller-Meeks is a longtime supporter of Second Amendment rights.

“As a physician and former Director of Public Health in Iowa, I believe that our leading public health agency should be focusing on researching and preventing communicable diseases, which was what the CDC was originally created to do – not prioritizing gun control,” she posted to ‘X’ ahead of the November 15 vote. 

It passed in the House of Representatives 216-211. However, it stalled in the Senate and was never signed into law by then-President Joe Biden.

Taking guns from Grandpa

Now, Gun Owners of America (GOA), one of the nation’s largest gun rights groups, is pushing for the CDC’s gun research department to get the DOGE treatment. GOA Executive Vice President Erich Pratt spoke to Just The News about the funding, including taxpayer money used to study the effectiveness of gun confiscation of all ages and also researching a sundown age for seniors to relinquish personal firearms. “That right there is tilted towards the left…money to study the benefits of expanded background checks and registration, the best age to set a second amendment retirement age for senior citizens,” he continued. 

“You know, last I checked, there wasn't a retirement clause on any of the Bill of Rights. But this is what they want to do. They fund these studies to say, okay, you might retire at age 65 but, at age 71, take guns from grandpa.”

Research grants currently active within the CDC include $3.6 million for ‘firearm retirement’ for senior citizens, $1.2 million for ‘check-ins’ on ‘guns at home,’ $2.1 million to study ‘firearm possession’ by Asian Americans, $126,000 on ‘Black Americans’ elevated gun violence exposure,’ $490,000 on ‘comparing states' gun policies,’ $349,000 on ‘showing if firearm law reduces mortality,’ and $518,000 on ‘firearm storage & confiscation laws.’

Musk and the Second Amendment

With a self-deletion date set at the country’s semi sesquicentennial next July, DOGE has roughly 470 days to deliver on its promise to drastically reduce the amount of waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. The current tally is now at $115 billion, according to the DOGE tracker website.

While neither DOGE nor Musk have made  announcements concerning the CDC's gun-control spending, it's possible that Second Amendment advocates will find a sympathetic ear at DOGE. The National Rifle Association (NRA), through its house organ "America's First Freedom," produced a wish list for DOGE that asks them to advise President Trump to sign an executive action stating that the ATF cannot attempt to rewrite gun-control laws and to restrict the ATF to "treat the lawfully armed public like the law-abiding citizens they are."

The NRA also said that the Biden administration "blamed gun stores for being responsible for rising crime rates, even though the ATF’s own statistics shows this not to be the case." Suggesting several cuts in specific, the 5 million member 501(c)4 asks DOGE to disband the White House “Office of Gun Violence Prevention;” dismantle the Department of Justice’s “red-flag” law clearinghouse; end what they call "government funding of bogus gun-control advocacy posing as research;” and they recommend revoking the Biden administration’s export licensing crackdown on American gun companies through the U.S. Commerce Department.

Although DOGE has not set its sights on any gun-control related waste or abuse -- at least publicly -- Musk has not been shy about expressing his support for the right to bear arms. On the 2024 campaign trial on behalf of President Trump, Musk responded to Vice President Kamala Harris' suggested mandatory gun buyback program by saying "The right to bear arms is there to protect free speech and stop a tyrannical government from taking your rights away! That’s why the first thing that all tyrants do is disarm the people, just like Chavez did when he was first elected. After that, no more real elections in Venezuela."

Even in his support for gun ownership, Musk has proven yet again to be something of a contrarian. In 2022, Musk told CNBC that "I strongly believe that the right to bear arms is an important safeguard against potential tyranny of government. Historically, maintaining their power over the people is why those in power did not allow public ownership of guns." In the same interview, Musk also underscored his support for “tight background checks” for all gun sales and limiting sales of assault weapons to people in special circumstances, like gun range owners, or people who live in a “high risk location, like gang warfare."