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Kayla Burr
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
22 February 2016
Topic Proposal: Gun Control or Gun Culture?
Introduction/Overview
The topic I chose for my research paper is gun control, with a focus on the effects that it
has on the so called gun culture that we as Americans live in. To have stricter gun laws, or to
not have stricter gun laws is a major debate in our country. This debate tends to become even
more heated and publicized when there are officer involved shootings or a mass shooting,
rightfully so. But gun violence is happening all around us, in the neighborhoods that we grew up
in and in the homes of people that we would have never suspected. It happens every day,
multiple times a day. As I began to research this topic, my first step was to research the actual
statistics of gun violence. I visited a website, gunpolicy.org dedicated to gun violence to ensure
that my self-thought facts were correct; I was actually surprised by the number of incidents that
there were just in 2015: 53,044 gun-related incidents, shootings and battery. According to my
calculations that is approximately 145 gun-related incidents on average in a single day.
The gun control debate stems from the 2nd amendment, which states, "A well-regulated
Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear
Arms, shall not be infringed." For as long as America has been established, people have owned
guns. It is a right specifically stated in the Constitution, but that was written in 1787. We, as
Americans, can all admit that things have changed, and with the change there is often an
evolution that has to come with rules and regulations as well. The accessibility to obtain a gun is

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easier than people might think due to the black market and theft. The black market is a powerful
thing that law enforcement and federal agencies have had trouble stopping; though I do believe it
can be stopped, but at what cost, what steps must one take to achieve this? At what point do you
establish stricter gun laws, stricter testing, and more comprehensive background checks? With
the government divided, with a Democrat President and a Republican Congress, not much
progress is ever made in establishing the laws. While I research this topic, I would like to learn
more about the past attempts at forming gun control laws.
According to a Business Insider article, the American people pay almost thirteen million
dollars every day to cover the costs of gun-related violence and deaths. I would like to learn
more about what these numbers entail and also more about the education that we are providing
for the kids who are growing up in this world today, including their knowledge of guns and why
guns continue to persevere through generations. The article also states that one-fourth of teenage
deaths occur from gun-violence. One-fourth. At what point does the government, states, cities,
and even towns recognize the dangers that these kids face every day that they see as normal.
Parents, teachers, community personal, and police are all a part of this conversation and will
continue to be a part of the conversation until a reasonable solution is reached.
Initial Inquiry Question(s)
Should Americans accept gun violence as part of the American culture or fight for gun
control? Where do you draw the line between Second Amendment rights and protecting
citizens?
My Interest in this Topic
My interest in this topic stems from multiple areas. One area being that I would like to
have a career in law enforcement after graduating. Even though, with being a cop in todays

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world, there are a lot of stereotypes and perceptions that come along with that. Though, the main
reason that I am interested in gun control and gun violence is because I personally have been
affected by gun violence. During my senior year of high school, a girl that I had played
volleyball with since freshman year, was killed. She was just staying the night with a friend who
she had known for years, but during the early morning hours her friends mom had her boyfriend
over; he had been drinking and there was a gun in the house. Things escalated between the mom
and boyfriend and he fired the gun accidently, shooting and killing my friend. She was the
granddaughter of our local sheriff, extremely popular, and a phenomenal athlete and it happened
to her. It opened my eyes to just how real this was and that it could happen to anyone of us at
any time.
Next Steps
As I continue my research on gun laws, I am going to begin by speaking with my
Introduction to Law Enforcement teacher, Anna Divita, who was a cop for many years in
Chicago. I feel that she will have very insightful thoughts and perceptions on this topic, as many
of us view Chicago as one of the most dangerous cities in America. I have also checked two
books out of the library on gun violence, they are entitled Gun Violence: The Real Costs and
Gun Violence in America: The Struggle for Control. I hope these books provide me with insight
that I can use as I reflect and write my EIP. I also will scour the internet to find articles and other
important information which I can use to analyze both sides of the gun control debate.