Library & Information Resources 30
EXAMPLE/MODEL FOR COURSE PROJECT
THESIS STATEMENT:
The constitutional right to bear arms embodied in the second amendment to the United
States and as interpreted by the Supreme Court of the United States undermines the
constitutionality of current gun control legislation.
OUTLINE:
1. Define second amendment to the United States Constitution.
A. Make clear the constitutional right to bear arms.
B. Illustrate how second amendment has been interpreted by the Supreme Court.
i. Case examples.
2. Analyze recent crime bill passed by Congress.
A. Ban on various types of weapons, etc.
3. Demonstrate contradictions between second amendment and court interpretations of
the second amendment with the current crime bill.
A. List points:
i. Individual liberty.
a. Case example.
ii. Right to protect private property
a. Case example.
iii. Ban on types of firearms.
a. Case example.
B. Contradiction between Second Amendment and Gun Control legislation:
i. Gun control legislation is in violation of the provisions guaranteed by the second
amendment to the United States constitution.
a. Illustrate how the crime bill directly contradicts the second amendment.
4. Conclusion:
A. The crime bill is incompatible with the constitutional right to bear arms
WORKS CITED
“Arms, Right to Bear,” The Guide to American Law: Everyone’s Legal Encyclopedia. St.
Paul: West Publishing Company, 1985.
I chose this encyclopedia because it gave me an overview of the legal aspects of the topic.
I used the JC library’s online catalog to locate this reference work at the Doyle Library.
Gordin, James. “Taking Aim at the Wrong Target.” U.S. News & World Report 1 June
1992: 8. Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale Group. Santa Rosa Junior College Lib.,
Santa Rosa, CA. 3 Sept. 2006 <http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com>.
This article from a subscription database presents an interesting legal perspective on the
topic. I used Expanded Academic Index (off campus) to find this full-text article.
Johnson, Theodore, L. “The Second Amendment Controversy.” PatriotNet. 1996. Patriot
Computer Group. 7 Sept. 2006 <http://patriot.net/~tlj/>.
I selected this web site document because it presents good detailed arguments about the
gun control controversy. The web search engine, Google, was the tool I used to find this
web site.
Kaminer, Wendy. “Crime and Community.” The Atlantic May 1994: 111. ProQuest
Information and Learning. Santa Rosa Junior College Lib., Santa Rosa, CA. 1 Oct.
2006 <http://proquest.com>.
I included this article because it discusses gun control from the perspective of its impact on
the community. I used the subscription database, Proquest Research Library (off campus)
to find this full-text article.
Landau, Elaine. Armed America: The Status of Gun Control. Englewood Cliffs: Messner,
1991.
This book is helpful to my research because it contains detailed information and statistics. .
I used the JC library’s online catalog to locate this circulating book at the Doyle Library.