Hypothesis Proposal

Research Proposal
Haider Hussain
Independent Research
2020
Research Title: Why So Many Bullets? Gun Violence in America
Overview
This research is focused on gun violence in America today. An aspect of this research is the idea
that the perceptions toward guns, gun ownership, and gun use have led to increased ownership of
guns, and therefore, increased gun violence. The primary research is composed of a
meta-analysis of existing documents about demographics and gun perceptions, in order to find
what these perceptions are.
Background
For many years, gun violence has been accepted publicly as a national problem, but in the 1st
century, gun violence has grown dramatically. From 2014 to 2017, firearm homicides increased
by 32%. Now, America’s gun violence is more similar to nations such as Mexico and Venezuela
instead of other similar industrialized democracies. In fact, America has the second greatest
number of gun deaths per year, only second to Brazil. Mass shootings have also strangely
become the norm, nearly tripling from 2000 to 2013. Despite the implementation of some gun
policy reform, the growing rate of gun violence has not seemed to change.
Many have claimed different reasons for this increase, ranging from mental health and video
games to gun registration and accessibility. For example, President Donald Trump has stated that
to combat gun violence, the U.S. should be funding more mental health institutions. Experts on
the topic have offered different reasons for gun violence, yet none seem to be a clear answer.
Gun perceptions or gun culture is the way society views gun ownership and gun use. In the past,
these perceptions, in America, were very different from what it is currently. Before the 21st
century, 71% of gun owners owned guns for sport and leisure, rather than self-defense. Now, the
most common reason is self-defense, with 63% of gun owners stating the primary reason is
protection.
The Problem and Rationale

If the trend of increasing gun violence continues, the problem facing America today would
become much worse. In 2017, according to the FBI homicide reports, close to 40,000 people in
the U.S. died from a firearm, and many more were injured. This number will only grow every
year, meaning the risk of gun death will only grow. Despite some gun policy reform, little
change has occurred. Because too many rationales for gun violence have been claimed, it is
nearly impossible to pinpoint a specific cause, and change policy accordingly. With my research,
I can offer a new claim with a plethora of evidence to support it, which could possibly help find
the conclusion to this question. My research is targeted at those who have an effect on gun
policy. These people could use my research as a basis for their decision making when it comes to
laws regarding the prevention of gun violence. While it is targeting these people, my research
could influence many people to take a stand for gun violence prevention.
Primary Research Methodology

Research Question and Hypothesis
● What is the U.S. perception of guns, gun ownership, and gun use in America?
● America has an abnormal gun culture, in which gun owners have vastly different beliefs,
habits, and ideologies than those who do not own guns.
Basis of Hypothesis
This hypothesis is based on the idea that gun perceptions and gun culture in the U.S., has led to
increased gun ownership, and with that gun violence. This theory about the causes of gun
violence is much more logical than others. For example, as many have stated, the mental health
system is to blame for gun violence. While this is a possibility, it does not explain why nations
with higher mental health issues have greater gun violence than America. Also, researchers have
claimed that America is a violent country in general, but again this idea fails to explain why
violent crimes have been decreasing, while gun violence has increased. Through my research, I
have found that the most logical way to explain gun violence is by the perceptions towards guns
in the U.S. But if gun perceptions have led to increased ownership, then gun owners should have
different perceptions than non-gun owners when it comes to guns.
Research Design
My project requires me to conduct a quantitative meta-analysis of past documents and data to
explain the gun culture in America. This gives me the best means of collecting information in the
most effective and safe way. For example, this meta-analysis will focus on documents that
compare public opinion and perceptions relating to guns, including data such as Pew and Gallup
research polls, as well as some other forms of data. This method will be the basis of my research
product.
Operational Definitions
● Gun perceptions and Gun Culture- the public’s general views on the ownership and the
use of guns.
● Gun Violence - all forms of violence committed with the use of a firearm. This includes
attempted firearm homicides or injuries, attempted suicides or self-injuries, and all
accidental deaths or injuries.
● Abnormal - compared to that of politically-similar industrialized democracies.
Product Overview
The research will be finalized with a short documentary, which will explain the findings of this
meta-analysis, as well as other portions of the research as a whole. This will be presented to
students and some staff in Reservoir High School. It will be presented to this audience because
the idea of the project centers around perceptions, and therefore, will attempt to influence
perceptions in younger people. The documentary acts as a visually interesting outlet for this
group.
Logistical Considerations
When it comes to accessing articles and journals, many articles and journals that would be
beneficial to my research is private or costly, which would mean that the selection for these
articles is difficult. Also, when it comes to research about gun violence, access to data on
criminal convictions and history is private, which means gun perceptions are difficult to connect
to gun violence. Another issue is that gun perceptions can not be compared without data from
other nations, which is much more difficult to access. All these issues weaken the variety of data
I can use, but there is still is enough accessible for the meta-analysis.

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Research Title: Why So Many Bullets? Gun Violence in America

The Problem and Rationale

Primary Research Methodology

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Hypothesis Proposal

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Hypothesis Proposal

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Copyright

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Hypothesis Proposal

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Research Proposal

Research Title:​ Why So Many Bullets? Gun Violence in America

The Problem and Rationale

Primary Research Methodology

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Research Title: Why So Many Bullets? Gun Violence in America