For the past few years, the heated topic regarding gun control has been widely criticized and debated relentlessly. Every time a tragic incident involving a shooting or major crime takes place, this issue sparks again and all one can watch on the news our reporters sharing their opinions on the matter of gun control. This subject greatly interests me as I've grown up shooting guns and understand the responsibility of possessing a weapon and the power packed behind a bullet.  Personally, I am a college undergraduate student and a citizen of the United States, whom would be greatly affected by increasing the strictness of the use of weapons. I am fully aware of the past shootings on college campuses, and it is truly heartbreaking that people are willing to take the lives of the innocent future of America for no apparent reason. With all of the people out there looking to harm others, I feel that guns can be used to my advantage for protection and for safety, which is every human being's most primary concern.

After researching this topic, I came across three sources sharing various perspectives on gun control and possible ways to reduce violence and crime.

The first source I analyzed was written by Amber Phillips called "More and More Americans See Guns as a Solution-Not a Problem". This article elaborates on how Americans are leaning towards the possession of guns rather than laws limiting certain kinds of firearms and the process to obtain them. According to this article on The Washington Post, a very credible source, there has been a 9% increase (48%-57%) of Americans say that gun ownership could protect people from being victims of a crime (Phillips). This poll was taken after the Newtown mass shooting that took place in an elementary school in Connecticut. It is evident that the author takes a stance supporting that guns can be used to deter crimes and mass violence, as she describes gun supporters increase in numbers after every public shooting.

Another source I looked over was written by Eric Lichtblau from the New York Times. "N.R.A. Victories in Congress Grow With Chief Lobbyist's Role" is the title of this article, and it describes the valiant efforts led by Chris Cox for the National Rifle Association to deny all new gun laws legislated by President Barack Obama. Cox with the help of his mentor Wayne LaPierre are the leading figures of the NRA as they fight for the expansion of gun rights and complete and utter upholding of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.  An iconic moment in the gun debate was when Wayne LaPierre said, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun" (Lichtblau). This grabbed attention from many Americans seeing that there is no way to completely eliminate all firearms in the United States and how the right people can stop a major incident from occurring. Eric Lichtblau won a Pulitzer Prize for covering the National Security Agency and breaking the news on the wiretapping scandal writing for the Los Angles Times, which deems his works very credible. His interests lay in current issues involving the government and ongoing debates about current problems within this country.

The last article I viewed was an informative source on the pros and cons to gun control written by Paul Goodman. This source dives into the major advantages and disadvantages on gun control such as the possibility of reducing the amount of guns out in society today could link to a decrease in the rates of crime. In contrary, such gun control laws can be deemed as a violation to the Second Amendment and can be seen as highly unconstitutional. Goodman's interests lay within informing the American public on the positives and negatives behind gun control and allows for all those not up to date with this issue to find the major points supporting each side. The authority behind this article is questionable as it is from a blog, but the author seems to have a ton of viewers, which leads to some sort of credibility. Even though it is a highly opinionated article, the points seem valid for both sides in comparison through other cross-references. 

These sources provide information and prime examples relating to the issue of gun control and the violence surrounding it. The research question is definitely arguable as politicians debate this heated issue daily, and it is all over newspaper headlines. My sources agreed that it isn't the number of guns that is the problem, but the people possessing them that is. Furthermore, people can stop violence and crime from happening with just the presence of a firearm, not even using it. My research question needs to be adjusted to not involve new legislation being passed regarding weapons but instead focus on gun control dealing with crime and violence more specifically. All in all, these resources can be used to help support my argument and recognize valid points a counterargument could bring to the table. 

