Robyn Cooper - Introduction to Sociology - November 8, 2015
Gun Control and Homicides
Harvard Professor Lisa Hepburn stated, “Where there are more guns there is more homicide” (Hepburn). Gun control has become a hot topic in today’s society but so has the crime rate. With guns being so easily obtainable whether legally or illegally, crimes will always exist. But, with the set of some regulations one would believe that citizens would act accordingly and keep crime away but everyone is not so able. So, I pose the question, does gun control increase or decrease homicides in America? Using the scientific method, I will break this topic down.
The first three steps of the scientific method are very important. Step one is …show more content…
You must also describe a problem and identify the specific area of interest. Step two involves researching existing sources. Researchers call this a “literature review” which is simply a review of any existing similar or related studie (pg.28). Step three is where you would formulate a hypothesis. A hypothesis is basically an assumption about how two variables are related. The two variables are independent and dependent variables. An independent variable are the causes of change and a dependent variable is the effect of the change (pg.28). Now that you have that information you can finally begin breaking down your topic. Once again, I will ask the question, does gun control increase or decrease homicides in America?
I believe that with gun control, there will always be an increase in homicides. Guns have become more and more available to citizens. With the ease of …show more content…
Think of all the people who cannot abide by this because of titles that they have for themselves. For example, a felon. When you are a felon, you are not allowed to carry any weapon including guns. But, once you become a felon and accustomed to a certain lifestyle you will more than likely resort back to your criminal ways. Another person that would be holding a gun illegally would be one too young to acquire a gun permit in the first place. A person would wonder why would so many people want to carry a gun anyway. Consider their surroundings. In rougher areas, people feel like they need this type of protection because they feel unsafe and uncomfortable where they live. Chicago for example has a very high crime rate. Every 2 hours and 51 minutes an individual is shot and every 17 hours a person is murdered. Year to date, there have been 2,615 people shot in Chicago (Molnar). This is extremely high. Beth Molnar conducted a study involving over 1,800 youth in Chicago examining risk factors for adolescent gun carrying. A few things in particular that she found that correlated between illegal gun carrying by the youth were social disorder, safety and collective efficacy which were all aspects of their neighborhood (Molnar). She came to the conclusion that social disorder increases the likelihood of adolescent gun carrying which results in the increase in homicides in the
Gun Control and Homicides
Harvard Professor Lisa Hepburn stated, “Where there are more guns there is more homicide” (Hepburn). Gun control has become a hot topic in today’s society but so has the crime rate. With guns being so easily obtainable whether legally or illegally, crimes will always exist. But, with the set of some regulations one would believe that citizens would act accordingly and keep crime away but everyone is not so able. So, I pose the question, does gun control increase or decrease homicides in America? Using the scientific method, I will break this topic down.
The first three steps of the scientific method are very important. Step one is …show more content…
You must also describe a problem and identify the specific area of interest. Step two involves researching existing sources. Researchers call this a “literature review” which is simply a review of any existing similar or related studie (pg.28). Step three is where you would formulate a hypothesis. A hypothesis is basically an assumption about how two variables are related. The two variables are independent and dependent variables. An independent variable are the causes of change and a dependent variable is the effect of the change (pg.28). Now that you have that information you can finally begin breaking down your topic. Once again, I will ask the question, does gun control increase or decrease homicides in America?
I believe that with gun control, there will always be an increase in homicides. Guns have become more and more available to citizens. With the ease of …show more content…
Think of all the people who cannot abide by this because of titles that they have for themselves. For example, a felon. When you are a felon, you are not allowed to carry any weapon including guns. But, once you become a felon and accustomed to a certain lifestyle you will more than likely resort back to your criminal ways. Another person that would be holding a gun illegally would be one too young to acquire a gun permit in the first place. A person would wonder why would so many people want to carry a gun anyway. Consider their surroundings. In rougher areas, people feel like they need this type of protection because they feel unsafe and uncomfortable where they live. Chicago for example has a very high crime rate. Every 2 hours and 51 minutes an individual is shot and every 17 hours a person is murdered. Year to date, there have been 2,615 people shot in Chicago (Molnar). This is extremely high. Beth Molnar conducted a study involving over 1,800 youth in Chicago examining risk factors for adolescent gun carrying. A few things in particular that she found that correlated between illegal gun carrying by the youth were social disorder, safety and collective efficacy which were all aspects of their neighborhood (Molnar). She came to the conclusion that social disorder increases the likelihood of adolescent gun carrying which results in the increase in homicides in the