Writing a Persuasive Essay on Knife Laws.

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In my English Composition Class, our final paper is a persuasive essay. First off let me state that I am not asking for help on writing this. However, supportive links and accurate websites seem vague. And I just want to be sure I am not spewing wrongful information. So I am just asking for some confirmation on the info that I do already have. So here are a few links. I am still poring over information. Thanks to anyone who comments.

First link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States_by_state
Yep, the good old wikipedia. Based on the statistical chart they show on gun violence compared to other weapons for 2004. We see that only a select few states have knife violence that exceedes that of any weapons in the OTHER% category.

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/wuvc01.pdf
This just shows more statistics. And interestingly enough. Based on their stats, the amount of crimes commited with knives, is outweighed by the victims not even being sure if there was a weapon. Overall Knife crimes fall under gun violence, and other non knife weapons, when combined.

Thanks again for anyone who helps. And anything you write, will obviously not be used in my paper.
 
A great project!

Wikipedia can be a bit weaksauce, and that data is very old (2004). But, if you click through to the BJS source, there is more more recent data on weapons used for non-fatal crimes:
http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=43

And here's stats on murder from the FBI:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/uc...s.-2011/tables/expanded-homicide-data-table-8

Now one other matter I think you should use as a persuasive tool is the type of knife used to commit acts of violence. This is poorly documented because courts generally don't care about the the type, just that it was murder by knife. But seriously ask any cop, state's attorney, M.E. or judge: Most knives used in crime are kitchen knives, often stolen or obtained right before the crime happens. The most feared and frequently outlawed knives like daggers, butterfly knives or switchblades are rarely ever involved in crimes. I know you probably need sources, so would an interview you conduct with a cop work? That might be an interested angle for your paper. "I spoke with Sergeant ____, a 35 year veteran of the ____ police force, who told me _____."


My own essay that is instructional rather than persuasive, just as one more reference:
http://weaponlaws.wikidot.com
 
Thanks for the response. A interview is a good idea! I will try and post more links that I want to use later on.
 
In my English Composition Class, our final paper is a persuasive essay. First off let me state that I am not asking for help on writing this. However, supportive links and accurate websites seem vague. And I just want to be sure I am not spewing wrongful information. So I am just asking for some confirmation on the info that I do already have. So here are a few links. I am still poring over information. Thanks to anyone who comments.

First link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States_by_state
Yep, the good old wikipedia. Based on the statistical chart they show on gun violence compared to other weapons for 2004. We see that only a select few states have knife violence that exceedes that of any weapons in the OTHER% category.

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/wuvc01.pdf
This just shows more statistics. And interestingly enough. Based on their stats, the amount of crimes commited with knives, is outweighed by the victims not even being sure if there was a weapon. Overall Knife crimes fall under gun violence, and other non knife weapons, when combined.

Thanks again for anyone who helps. And anything you write, will obviously not be used in my paper.
If you don't mind my asking, what level of school are you currently at? If you are high school, I would advise against writing papers involving knives, firearms, etc., especially in a public school. These are very touchy subjects, especially after 9/11, and the mere mention of a knife or firearm has got students suspended. Good luck with your paper, but please be careful.
 
If you don't mind my asking, what level of school are you currently at? If you are high school, I would advise against writing papers involving knives, firearms, etc., especially in a public school. These are very touchy subjects, especially after 9/11, and the mere mention of a knife or firearm has got students suspended. Good luck with your paper, but please be careful.
Thanks for the tip. I am writing it for College. I has also already went over my topic with my teacher and have gotten it approved. He is very open. So hopefully he will see my side :). I chose this topic because he said that over his career he has read over 9,000 papers on just the two topics of abortion and gun control. I tried to aim for something that seems rarely discussed.
 
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