Running Head: GUN CONTROL VS. GUN RIGHTS

Gun Control vs. Gun Rights
By
Robert Marlow

For

CJ 450 Senior Seminar

Dr. Michael Eskey

Park University
September 2009

Abstract
Gun control and gun rights have been an issue that has been debated for decades. Whenever there has been a mass shooting of any magnitude, it seems that the debate heats up even more. Consideration must be given as to what the benefits are of these gun control laws. Gun control laws must also be written as to not violate the Second Amendment of the Constitution as well. There have been many studies accomplished to determine if gun control laws actually do reduce the amount of violent crimes. These studies have discovered that there is no link
On average, most gun control laws are simply put in place by the state themselves. This gives each state the power to determine what level of gun control that they want to have in order to keep crime rates low. On the positive side of this, it allows researchers to better investigate how the laws in each state affect the level of control on crimes. This research further allows researchers to determine if gun control actually reduces crime rates or increases crime rates, or keeps crime rate the same as before the gun control law went into effect. This thesis will discuss the research that has been found along with the statistics within the state of Georgia (GA) while looking at a community within the state of GA. The research that has been done and the statistics within GA will show that the hypothesis of gun control does not reduce the amount of crimes that involve a handgun.
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Not every state in America has the same crime rate as another state. This also holds true for that of violent crimes that are committed with a handgun. Some simple reasons that this can be seen are that not every state or city is the same size and population as another. While some states have individuals that are working, other states struggle