Law - Research Methods in CJ

Researcher:

Ronald S. Dixon

Date:

June 24, 2018 

Thesis Topic:

Gun Control: Measures that can be used to control the use and possession of guns in the United States.  

Abstract

Background & Statement of Problem:

This is an overview of the whole research project. Describe your study and how you plan to do it.

There is an ongoing debate in the United States about the possession and use of guns. The Americans are divided as some believe that the possession of arms is a legal right under the constitution. However, there some people who argue that the possession of guns is putting the security of the people at risk. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution grants American citizens the right to own firearms such as guns. Therefore, any attempt by the government agencies to regulate the possession of guns is interpreted as unconstitutional. However, recent occurrences have raised concerns about the rights of people to own guns. These firearms have been misused to threaten the lives of others through mass shootings, carrying out crime and even committing suicide. These horrible occurrences call for government intervention to prevent more deaths. This study seeks to determine whether guns should be banned in the United States or not. It will also establish if the United States citizens should be allowed to posses’ guns. Lastly, the research will focus on who should be allowed to possess guns and who should be restricted from possessing them.

Primary Research Question and Additional Questions:

Should people in the United States be allowed to own guns?

Should guns be banned in the United States?

Who should be allowed or restricted from purchasing or possessing firearms?

Is the move by federal government to control the use and possession of guns unconstitutional?

Objectives of the Study:

The objective of this study is to use qualitative data to conduct a descriptive study that achieves various goals. The first one is to establish whether people should be allowed to own and use guns in the United States. The data from this study can be used to determine the advantages and disadvantages of owning guns. In case, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages then it is right for people to have guns and vice versa. The second one is to determine if guns should be banned in the United States. The study aims to collect data from people and also through state documents such as the constitution. For instance, it is important to find out whether the constitution allows the possession of firearms or not. The third one is to determine who should be allowed to posses and use guns and who should not. It is difficult to ban the use of guns in totality since there some advantages of having guns. However, it is vital to determine the criteria that should be used to identify who should be allowed to own guns.

Importance of the Study:

 This study is important because it contributes to the existing knowledge about this topic. Many studies concerning gun control in the United States have been conducted in the past. However, there is always something new to be discovered. This research will present more information to enrich the field. The study also establishes literature gaps that will be filled through this study. A close analysis of the current literature gives the researcher a chance to identify some aspects of the research that other researchers left out. He/she will then incorporate these aspects in his study to prevent better and more credible information. In addition, the misuse of guns is a huge problem that is affecting the United States. There are various mass shootings that have taken place in various states. The government has a role of protecting the people. However, gun control is not an easy problem to fix since the constitution offers the possession guns as a right for American citizens. However, it is vital to weigh between the advantages and disadvantages of gun ownership in order to establish appropriate conclusion. As a result, it is essential to conduct extensive research to provide lasting solutions and recommendations that can fix the problem. State agencies will be in a position to implement the recommendations proposed by this research to address the problem of gun control and misuse. Furthermore, new problems keep arising every now and then in any field. It is for this reason that new researches should be conducted to keep up with the changes.

Topics of the Literature to be Reviewed:

 The stand of the United States constitution concerning the issue of gun possession and use. The constitution of the United States under the Second Amendment gives details about gun ownership. The researcher will explore this amendment and also various arguments that have been used to interpret it.

The advantages and disadvantages of gun ownership in the United States.

The consequences of misuse of guns in the United States.

The opinions of the United States citizens about the issue of gun ownership and use.

The stand of the United States government and security agencies about gun control and the Second Amendment of the constitution.

The reasons cited by those who argue that people should be allowed to own guns and those against guns ownership.

Limitation of the Study:

This research relies heavily on the opinions of American citizens, security agencies and various organizations. However, the time that is allocated to complete the research is limited. As a result, the data can only be conducted on a small number of people hence compromising the credibility of the data collected due to the small sample size.

Additionally, the researcher wanted to use more open-ended questions while designing the interview questions. However, it is impossible to cover all the questions within the short time that the researcher has with the interviewees. Lastly, the interviewees that the researcher has identified are in different places in the United States. Moving from one place to the other is expensive and also time consuming.

Proposed Methodology

  The research will use both primary and secondary sources. The primary data will be collected through interviews that incorporate open ended questions. The interviews are essential because they give the opinions and justifications that Americans have about owning guns or why possession of guns should be controlled. The researcher will then use follow up questions to seek clarification or further information. Additionally, the primary data will be collected using questionnaires and analyzing case studies. The questionnaires will be formulated and distribute to people randomly. The case studies on the other hand are reviews of actual events such as the recent mass shooting that have taken place in various states. The secondary data will be collected from scholarly journals, books, magazines and articles that explore the topic under investigation. There is a wide literature that has been carried out about the issue of gun control. This can be attributed to the controversy that has surrounded the issue for a long time. One of the most important documents for the secondary data is the United States Constitution. The Second Amendment addresses the issue of gun ownership as a right of American citizens. The data will then be processed through software’s such as SPSS before being analyzed.

Data Collection:

The data used to conduct the study is both primary and secondary data. Various tools such as interviews and questionnaires will be used as sources of primary data. Additionally, different scholarly articles, journals and books will be used to collect secondary data. The aim of using primary data is to get first hand information about gun control from various people and organizations. The secondary data on the other hand helps the research to establish what is already known about the topic. He/she will then advance that knowledge by providing more insight through the research process.

Data Analysis/Conclusions:

The primary and secondary data that is collected during the data collection process will be thoroughly evaluated. It will undergo various processes such as editing, coding, classification and tabulation. One the coding and interpretation is over, the researcher will identify similarities, differences or other patterns that are consistent in the data. The analysis will be used to come up with conclusions and recommendations.

Title:

Gun Control: Measures that can be used to control the use and possession of guns in the United States.