need help with capstone project
6
Reducing Gun Violence Through Universal Background Checks
4/24/2025
1. What are you asking your reader to believe or accept?
What I am proposing is that my reader should believe that learners of this are doing a necessary and impactful thing by demanding universal background checks (UBCs) for all firearm purchases throughout (though using licensed retailers, private sales, or ecommerce websites). It is based on the fact that the laws we have are not good enough because, they have some loopholes through which no careful person would like dangerous people to buy guns without being well scrutinized. This provides a balanced, supported by public safety solution that closes those gaps by universal background checks that respect lawful gun ownership.
2. What evidence is available to support this claim?
Universal background checks are very much researched and known to be highly effective. For example, states that have enacted UBCs on the gun show loophole show lower rates of firearm low death and suicide than states that have not enacted them. Kaufman et al. (2020) note that homicide rates among the African Americans fall in states with stricter checks. According to Schell et al. (2024), firearm mortality also declines with more comprehensive gun policies. Also, there are data pointing out that less police officers are killed in states with stronger background laws (Siegel, 2024). That is a very strong link between UBCs and a safer public. Support for this solution also continues with public opinions liking it, including those of gun owners who favor it as a common sense reform.
3. How would you rate the evidence based on its veracity and its relevance to your main claim?
There is also evidence that supports this claim and that it highly truthful and very relevant. I can guarantee it came from high quality, reputable, peer reviewed studies that were published in JAMA Network Open and just about every other respectable academic journal. Specifically, the data concerns outcomes of states which passed universal background checks and what the results regarding crime and mortality rates. This evidence can be taken for granted as it is both reliable and pointed directly at the claim, making it quite a strong evidence for the argument.
4. After evaluating the evidence, can you think of any possible objections that might be raised against your argument?
One possible objection is that some of those who buy the guns are criminals and therefore can, and will, find ways to get around universal background checks and thus limit the effectiveness of the policy. Poor enforcement is predicted to occur when managing properties because certain states lack the resources or political willingness to carry out these policies properly. To that could critics argue it effectively infringes Second Amendment rights or places an unfair burden on the perfectly law abiding gun owners. However, the objections raised here are the valid concerns, yet they do not necessarily outweigh the possibility of the benefits of universal background checks.
5. What additional evidence would strengthen your argument?
The inclusion of longitudinal studies comparing UBC implementation’s impact on rates of gun violence within the same state to provide the strongest argument would be useful. Law enforcement officials that support universal background checks can also give validity and real world insights in the form of expert testimony. Additionally, studying how guns at UBCs interact with other such safety items, such as red flag laws, could reveal whether more measures than one really means more results.
6. What kind of inductive inferential pattern would best suit your argument—inductive generalization, statistical syllogism, causal argument, or reasoning by analogy?
The most appropriate inductive pattern for this argument is a causal argument. According to the claim, increasing universal background checks reduces gun violence as dangerous people will have to work harder to obtain firearms. Results from this data also indicate a cause and effect relationship between the policy, the lower crime and mortality rates found in UBC states.
7. Create either a standard format construction (P1, P2, etc., /C) or a map of your argument.
P1: Universal background checks in states lead to lower inability rates of firearm related homicide and suicide.
P2: Universal background checks fill legal loopholes that allow private sales without any regulation.
P3: Universal background checks enjoy a great deal of public opinion, including many gun owners.
C: Therefore, there will be a reduction of gun violence and increase in public safety through universal background checks.
Reference
Kaufman, E. J., Morrison, C. N., Olson, E. J., Humphreys, D. K., Wiebe, D. J., Martin, N. D., & Seamon, M. J. (2020). Universal background checks for handgun purchases can reduce homicide rates of African Americans. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 88(6), 825–831.
Schell, T. L., Smart, R., Cefalu, M., Griffin, B. A., & Morral, A. R. (2024). State policies regulating firearms and changes in firearm mortality. JAMA Network Open, 7(7), e2422948.
Siegel, M. (2024). Universal background checks, permit requirements, and firearm homicide rates. JAMA Network Open, 7(8), e2425025.
