The topic that will be addressed in the research paper is gun control. Specifically, the research exigence is "will the anti gun control law benefit or destroy society"? Considering the number of mass shootings, the United States has experienced and the presidential debate, this topic is relevant to society and will have a great impact on the future.  This affects my values because I am a strong believer that any individual should have the right to own a handgun if, and only if, proper back ground checks and paper work are completed. My family is also involved in this topic; my grandparents especially express their interest and beliefs on gun control. Personally, I do not own a handgun, but many individuals in my family do. I am qualified to write about this topic because of the research that I have conducted over the past several weeks. 

The Keating Center produced an article that states that there is more to the debate on gun control. The war on drugs was a piece of evidence used to compare the war on guns; the war on drugs didn't decrease drug usage, instead, violence was increased because of black markets. Experts argue that gun control laws would have "either no effect on reducing violent crime, or may increase violent crime". This article also touches on self defense; it questions how many people would be harmed if individuals couldn't defend themselves? Gun owners, the general public, and the government are all invested in this topic and therefor have an interest in the outcome. The public and individual's safety is also a value that the debate considers greatly. Eric Peterson, the author of the article, served as a lieutenant at Bartlesville Police Department for 23 years. He was recognized by the US Department of Justice and was awarded the department's Medal of Valor and The Chief's Award.

Ezra Klein wrote an article on gun control that stated legislation should focus on how to limit purchases of firearms while still giving the public their second amendment right. The article suggested that enforcing higher taxes, requiring mandatory training before a purchase (like driving a car), and establishing waiting periods could decrease who obtains firearms; criminals that get guns illegally are still going to be an issue, however. "We many not know how to prevent the massacre in Newton, but we do know how to reduce gun deaths". The public's interest is at stake because all legislation has a large effect on society. The general public has the constitutional right to purchase a firearm, but limitations and requirements should be enforced; licenses, background checks, mandatory training, and waiting periods could all contribute. Ezra Klein is a columnist for the Washington Post and a well known blogger; he graduated from UCLA with a political science degree. Klein was recognized by The Week magazine for his blog and given the Carey McWilliam Award from the American Political Science Association.

The article from Huffington Post states that restricting fire arm access will benefit society because neighborhoods that are more susceptible to violence will have more of an opportunity to improve their lives. The crime rates are much higher in lower income communities and the use of guns only increases destruction of the area instead of promoting self defense. The article also uses statistics on races that are involved in gun crimes to back up that fire arms are an impediment to equality in communities. Lower economic communities' interests are at stake because they are most susceptible to the higher crime rates. The general publics' interest is also at stake because essentially everyone is affected by legislation. The Huffington Post is a well know newspaper. Jacob Schuman, the author, graduated from Brown University and later graduated from Harvard Law. 

My research exigence is arguable because the gun control debate is such a heated topic due to recent mass shootings over the years. With the presidential election coming up, the candidates are voicing their opinions and solutions on the topic. The sources that I chose represent both sides of the argument; therefor, I have disagreements with the pro-gun law arguments because I support anti-gun control. I do not think that an increase in fire arms would cause a destruction of a community. While reading the article that stated more firearms increase violence, my original beliefs were challenged, but remain the same. Firearms should remain available to the public, but the government should strengthen the process of purchasing one. I will need to research more on the topic and find specific real word examples in order to address the issue fully. 

