Need Data for College Paper

[Sweetums]

So... I am a new college student. I started classes this spring semester, to get on the road to becoming an electrical lineman for the power company I work for. In my English class, we were all assigned the same topic to right about. We are to chose a side, and in the paper, argue for that viewpoint, of being for, or against, the 2nd Amendment. We all know what side I'm choosing about this. Right now, I am looking up statistics and what not, and I thought that I would throw this out here for everyone chime in, and if you have any links to some good data, please post it. I think that it is wonderful, that I get to write about such a beloved topic of mine. However, I feel that I have such a duty to do this well, and such a short medium to present the facts, that my "view" on the 2nd Amendment, is much closer to a book, then it is a paper.

Thanks!
Mike

 

[mk2ja]

Whoo doggy! Congrats on being given the opportunity to write about this. I don't have any great links about it, but I'd love to read your paper once you get it finished.

Perhaps if you post your outline on here once you have it drafted, that would let us know what you'd like to say, which would then help INGOers know what kind of stats would be most useful to your case.


Caleb

 

[evansvillethompsongunner]

So... I am a new college student. I started classes this spring semester, to get on the road to becoming an electrical lineman for the power company I work for. In my English class, we were all assigned the same topic to right about. We are to chose a side, and in the paper, argue for that viewpoint, of being for, or against, the 2nd Amendment. We all know what side I'm choosing about this. Right now, I am looking up statistics and what not, and I thought that I would throw this out here for everyone chime in, and if you have any links to some good data, please post it. I think that it is wonderful, that I get to write about such a beloved topic of mine. However, I feel that I have such a duty to do this well, and such a short medium to present the facts, that my "view" on the 2nd Amendment, is much closer to a book, then it is a paper.

Thanks!
Mike

Please do your own homework.

Data on what?

Data?

The moon is made of rock and orbits the Earth.

Be specific and do your own research.

Some good sites for research:

LexisNexis, Westlaw, and judicious usage of Google will do wonders.

 

[mk2ja]

This site mentions that at Colorado State University, after CCW became legal, the number of reported sexual offenses dropped from 43 down to 2.
Pajamas Media Second Amendment Battle at Colorado State University

That site mentions the FBI crime statistics, which again this year confirmed the adage "more guns = less crime". Here's a link to the FBI's stats page.
Federal Bureau of Investigation - How To, Use Our Resources (Uniform Crime Reports)

Here is page where the NRA announced the news that the FBI reported crime rates continued to decline in 2009.
NRA-ILA :: More guns, less crime: FBI reports crime rates continue to decline

This site provides a quick way of obtaining detailed stats from the FBI reports by state/city for any year from 2005-2008, or from that whole span.
FBI crime statistics from 2005 to 2008 - JSOnline

 

[Sweetums]

Please do your own homework.

Data on what?

Data?

The moon is made of rock and orbits the Earth.

Be specific and do your own research.

Some good sites for research:

LexisNexis, Westlaw, and judicious usage of Google will do wonders.

I am doing my own homework

Just looking for any input/wisdom that anyone would like to share. I'll leave your sarcasm out of the final paper though, thanks.

 

[Sweetums]

Whoo doggy! Congrats on being given the opportunity to write about this. I don't have any great links about it, but I'd love to read your paper once you get it finished.

Perhaps if you post your outline on here once you have it drafted, that would let us know what you'd like to say, which would then help INGOers know what kind of stats would be most useful to your case.


Caleb

Well, my initial thoughts are kind of along the line of pointing out that it isn't the tool being used, it is the person, and then following up linking gun bans=more crime, etc.

Take a look at this...

Of violent crimes that were committed, only 7% were committed with the use of firearms. For robberies, it was 24% This is as of 2008.


Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) - Weapon Use by Offense Type


I also intend to throw in some references to the supreme court cases (of which I have links to a couple already) that speak of the fact that law enforcement has no duty to protect the public.

 

[Sweetums]

This site mentions that at Colorado State University, after CCW became legal, the number of reported sexual offenses dropped from 43 down to 2.
Pajamas Media Second Amendment Battle at Colorado State University

That site mentions the FBI crime statistics, which again this year confirmed the adage "more guns = less crime". Here's a link to the FBI's stats page.
Federal Bureau of Investigation - How To, Use Our Resources (Uniform Crime Reports)

Here is page where the NRA announced the news that the FBI reported crime rates continued to decline in 2009.
NRA-ILA :: More guns, less crime: FBI reports crime rates continue to decline

This site provides a quick way of obtaining detailed stats from the FBI reports by state/city for any year from 2005-2008, or from that whole span.
FBI crime statistics from 2005 to 2008 - JSOnline

That is cool, especially the information from Colorado State. I'll definitely have to look into that one. Seems to apply nicely to the audience...haha.

Thanks man!

 

[Pami]

It's been mentioned before in other requests for research that you check out Gun Facts - Gun Control | Facts | Bebunk | Myths

@ETG: I think he made his request clear. He's looking for data to support being for the 2A. Yep, that's a pretty broad subject, and yep, he mentioned he could probably write a book about it, but I'm guessing his instructor wants it a bit shorter than that, so he's looking for specific facts and topics he can use to narrow the subject. I don't think he's looking for us to do his research, just point him in the right direction of where to get good, credible information.

However, ETG does have a point. While I don't see what the moon has to do with the 2A, you probably should narrow your focus to something specific. Examples: the history of the 2A and why we have it; 2A is about self-defense, not just sporting or hunting rights; more specifically, the 2A is about more than just self-defense against your everyday Evil Villain - it's about being able to defend yourself against the government (when/if that becomes necessary).

 

[abnk]

Yes, Gun Facts is a great source. Also, buy Dr. Lott's More Guns, Less Crime and The Bias Against Guns. Both books are loaded in statistics. If you access your schools e-library, you should be able to retrieve Dr. Lott's peer-reviewed studies; he has more of these on the subject than anyone.

Good luck and don't let us down.

 

[antsi]

Arguing "for or against" the 2nd is so broad. Is this really, exactly what the assignment calls for?

I would expect something more specific from a writing assignment, like "Argue for or against the proposition that the 2nd amendment should be repealed," or "Argue for or against the interpretation of the 2nd as protecting the right of individuals to own handguns."

If your teacher really didn't specify any more than you have suggested, I would suggest that you clarify the assignment by thinking of a SPECIFIC proposal that you are arguing for or against. Otherwise there will simply be a tendency to throw out disconnected, rambling pro-gun-rights tidbits.

You can search on this forum for a recent Justice Dept report that showed increasing gun ownership over the past year, and a coinciding trend of decreasing violent crime.