Alateeqi1 Yousef Alateeqi Kristen Foster CO150-401 October 28th, 2013

My topic is about the relationship between mass murders and mental illnesses. After hearing about mass murders that happen all over United States, I became interested in investigating the purpose that make killers to do a mass murder shooting in schools, theaters and many places that shouldnt be related to crimes. I also became interested in knowing whether mental illnesses cause these crimes or not. Consequently, I choose whether mental illness causes these crimes or not as a research question and started searching for articles and reports that related to me research question. Before focusing on in depth information about mental illness and reading statistic about it, I started searching for an article that gives me a general idea about my topic and my specific question. Therefore, I started searching for magazines articles that contain general information, which help readers to understand the status quo. I started browsing in the Academic Premier database that Colorado State University Library offer to students. I find a good article was published in USA Today. The Article Mentally ill doesnt mean mass murder, states that mental illnesses and mass murders are not relatives. James explains why mental illness doesnt cause gun-related deaths. The article gives me good information about the writer point of view. I learned that nevertheless mental illnesses destroy the ills mind it cant destroy their ability to purchase a gun. Consequently, mental illness is not the reason of guns murders. The only thing that I did

Alateeqi2 not find in the text is the description of mental illness or general information about mental illnesses. Then, I started thinking about an article gives me a feed back about my topic. I decided that this articles credibility should be good because I want to use it to state facts that help me to answer my research question. After that, I accessed the Academic Search Premier and found a good article with good credibility that could give good information about mental illnesses. In the article Getting the Facts Straight About Gun Violence and Mental Illnesses, Carl describes some mental illnesses and illustrates why there is no relationship between mental illnesses and gun-violence. Carl mentions that mental illnesses present only 3-5% of violence. Although Carl support gun control, he believes that mental illnesses is not the cause of guns murders. Carl mentions that it is hard for psychologists to decide whether mentally ills are going to do a crime or not. Therefore, mental illness and guns murders are not relatives. I choose this source because it gives me punch of information that answers my research question. After I read this article, I realize that I have gotten good information about mental ills. Therefore, I need a statistic and report that could lead to better understanding to the two previous sources. Needing a statistic, facts and information about my topic and my research question I decided to search for an article or study that contains this kind of question. I searched in my university library database about this topic. I found such an amazing study that contains much information and statistic about my topic and research question. The study Gun Ownership and Firearm-Related Deaths, Illustrates the relation between owning guns and the kills that related to the guns. The article states that there is a positive and significant relationship between these two relatives. Also the study states that there is

Alateeqi3 no positive relation between mental illnesses and crime rate. The study is based on a statistic that was taken from many countries. From this study I started wondering about the reasons that made mentally illnesses kill people in the mass shooting that happens in the theater at Colorado, the school in Connecticut and the university in Virginia. I believe that this article will help me to answer my research question because it provides me with statistic that I need although the fact that this resource is based on statistic from many countries that have different guns laws that United States. After the information that I gain from the previous articles, I decided to search for an article talks about guns murders and guns control because mentally ills are group of the people who will be prohibited from owning a gun. I found a good article talks about this topic and whether it is good to the safety of United States or not. In the article Gun Control in America the writer refutes the reasons that make people have guns. The writer mentions that guns make people less safe instead of make them safe. Also, it can cause many kills in misunderstanding situations and that is why self-defense is not a justifiable reason to own or use a gun. I think that this source provide me with some information that could help me to understand why United States should control a gun. I also think that this source is related to my research question because mentally ills will be prohibited from owning guns if United States passed gun control law. This resource shaped my thinking about gun control and whether mentally ills should be prohibited from owning a gun or not because it is discusses gun control. Needing an objective point of view, I started searching for an article contains what I need. I started searching in Google. After searching for about 20 minutes, I found a perfect article that contains several points of views and discusses why government

Alateeqi4 should prohibit mentally illnesses from owning guns and why not. In the article Guns and Mental Illness, Nocera mentions his experience with one of mentally ill when he was a reporter in Texas. He also illustrates the democrats point of view after the shooting accidents that happen in Aurora, Colorado and Newton, Connecticut. According to the writer mentally ills should be prevented from having some auto guns machines. The writer states that the second amendment is the most difficult issue that democrats face. I think that this article is good article that could help me to understand the objective opinion that the writer mentions in the article. It helps me a lot because most of the sources that I used were disagreed with guns control laws that could prohibit mentally illnesses from owning guns because there is no relation ship between mentally illness and violence. I think that after reading the previous resources, I need a source that discussed the gun control laws and mentally illnesses because they are one of the main people that will be prohibited from owning a gun if United States passes the gun control law. I searched in Colorado State University Librarys database and I found an article discussed the gun control law. The mentally illness is a part of the discussion that the article discussed. In the article How We Can Reduce Gun Violence, the writer gives a background about the laws that might be passed in the future. Also, he suggested that the government should repay those large magazines that could include dozens of bullets. He also mentions that mentally illnesses could buy a gun although they don not have background check because of the gap in the law that called loophole. The writer mentions that although mental illnesses represent a small violence rate, most of the mass shootings happened because of them. This source might help me to answer my research question because it provides me

Alateeqi5 with some background law information that I need. Also, it can help me because it discusses the laws of owning a gun that mentally illnesses are an important part of it. All in all, after I learned many things about mental illnesses and how it can affect the guns mass murders, I think that I got better thinking to my problem. My understanding to my problem has changed dramatically because I read many points of view and I realized much information about gun violence and mentally illness. Based on all articles that I read I think that mentally ills should be prohibited from owning a gun although the fact that they represent a small quantity of violence because they are not responsible for there actions. I think and I hope that debates should be held in order to discuss what safer for United States.

Alateeqi6 Work Cited: 1- Bangalore, Sripal, and Franz H. Messerli. "Gun Ownership And Firearm-Related Deaths." American Journal Of Medicine126.10 (2013): 873-876. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. 2- Collier, Charles W. "Gun Control In America: An Autopsy Report." Dissent (00123846) 60.3 (2013): 81-86.Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. 3- Cook, Philip J. "How We Can Reduce Gun Violence." Chronicle Of Higher Education (2013): B2. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. 4- Fisher, Carl E., and Jeffrey A. Lieberman. "Getting The Facts Straight About Gun Violence And Mental Illness: Putting Compassion Before Fear." Annals Of Internal Medicine 159.6 (2013): 423-424. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. 5- James Alan, Fox. "Mentally ill doesn't mean mass murderer." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. 6- Nocera, Joe. "Guns and Mental Illness - NYTimes.com." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 28 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.