Congressional Democrats have launched renewed calls for federal research into gun violence prevention in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting.

Senate Democrats on Wednesday presented a report from the Government Accountability Office highlighting the limitations lawmakers have imposed on researchers attempting to understand gun violence, which they called a “public health crisis.”

“If we want this wave of gun violence to end, we need better information about what is causing it and what could be done to prevent it,” said Massachusetts Sen. Edward J. Markey.

And dozens of House Democrats have in recent weeks signed on to a bill that would repeal the so-called Dickey amendment, which prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from spending federal money “to advocate or promote gun control.” The 20-year-old provision is widely considered to have frozen federal investment in gun violence research.

10 Years of Congressional Efforts on Gun Control