The new government funding act provides $25 million for studies of gun violence. It's the second year in a row for such funding. Sen. Dick Durbin says doing the studies after almost 25 years of the government not funding them is a breakthrough.

Funds approved last year are covering studies on suicide prevention and whether having a parent who's been in prison makes a teen more likely to use a gun. The funds are also promoting handgun safety. A law passed in 1996 said federally funded agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention couldn't advocate for gun control. It didn't expressly prohibit studies of gun violence, but it had the same effect.