**No, they didn't**

The [NRA is a civil rights organization](http://home.nra.org), and isn't capable of blocking federal research funding related to gun violence and gun control. That is the job of Congress. 

Congress passed the [1996 Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Bill](http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-104publ208/pdf/PLAW-104publ208.pdf), which contains the following language:

> none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control

This amendment was added by U.S. House Representative Jay Dickey (R-AR) and was approved by 104th Congress. Even the [American Psychology Association](http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2013/02/gun-violence.aspx), that was against the Dickey Amendment admits:

> **this language did not explicitly ban research on gun violence**. However, Congress also took $2.6 million from the CDC’s budget — the amount the CDC had invested in firearm injury research the previous year —and earmarked the funds for prevention of traumatic brain injury.