Funders working to reduce gun violence are a patient bunch. Take Monday’s vote in the U.S. Senate on four gun-control measures. While the senators did not approve any of the measures to expand background checks or keep dangerous individuals from buying guns legally, they heard again in detail about the rise in gun violence that claimed another 49 lives in Orlando this month.
That counts for something in the opinion of advocacy groups who asked congress this week for action—”common-sense gun laws”—after another mass shooting. The Joyce Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are two of the biggest contributors to this cause, having given millions of dollars toward research and gun violence prevention. They haven’t seen much return on that investment lately.