As political issues go, gun control is definitely a doozie. Few topics get Americans as riled up. But no matter where you stand, most of us can at least agree on this: that gun violence claims the lives of too many innocent people in this country, and actions should be taken to reduce the number of people killed. Compared to other wealthy nations around the world, the rate of gun deaths in the U.S. is high. So why isn’t there more government-funded research about the problem, the way there is for other major public health crises? Why is the rate of gun violence in the United States higher than in any other wealthy nation?