Federal agencies will receive $25 million from Congress to study gun violence in a government spending deal reached by House and Senate negotiators - a major win for Democrats who have long pushed for dedicated funding to research the issue, a source told The Hill. 

"Democrats have broken the ban on funding for the first time in decades," the source said.

The deal includes $12.5 million each for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health to study gun violence and ways to prevent it.

It's the first time in more than 20 years that Congress has appropriated money for gun violence research.

"Taking action should never have taken more than 20 years," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who helped secure the funding. 

"The significance of this achievement cannot be understated, and it follows on the progress we made earlier this year by holding the first hearing on gun violence research in more than two decades."

Congress stopped funding gun violence research in 1996 after an amendment passed blocking agencies from using federal funds to advocate for gun control.

While the so-called Dickey Amendment - named for its author, former Sen. Jay Dickey (R-Ark.) - does not prevent federal agencies from studying gun violence, that was its effect.

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