My general topic was about gun control. I had some trouble with my research topic because I could not narrow it down the way I wanted. I began my research with some random sources. I tried to get some sources that were not as recent as this year. I found some sources on semi automatic weapons and facts on gun control. However I was not able to find something that interested me when I was reading my preliminary sources. My preliminary sources consist of mainly facts and had some old articles. Some of the sources were very vague and were mostly opinions from authors. I think my mindset in the preliminary research was that I was trying to debate something. I learned throughout my research that a research question should be thoroughly thought through and should not be vague.

To narrow down my research, I had to find more articles that interested me and I had to focus on something that matters. After reading several articles, I found something that interested me and that was the NRA. Many of the articles I read talked about the organization known as NRA, which stands for National Rifle Association, and how that the NRA has some sort of influence on the people. After several investigation and researching the NRA, I found that the NRA is very biased and bases their opinions that only see to benefit their organization. They have only one goal and that is to have things their way instead of compromising. They use scare tactics to try and scare the people into believing that the government is out to get them.

I found this aspect of gun control to be pretty interesting because I personally dislike organizations that like to trick and manipulate the public through advertisements and false propaganda. The NRA used every current event and manipulated it to make it relevant to gun control. For an example, in one article, the NRA tried to claim that by “banning firearms, we would be defenseless against Domestic Terrorism”. I find this irritating and manipulative because they are essentially trying to connect a non relevant topic to gun control.

The more I read about the NRA, the more I got irritated because of their use of manipulative language on the people. So I formed a research question around the NRA and I came up with a primitive research question “How is the NRA’s political bias impeding the progress of gun control in the United States?”. This question basically is asking how the NRA’s actions and influence in the media affecting the view of gun control in America. I have read from many sources that the NRA is supported by many gun owners in America, but do all gun owners agree with the ideas of the NRA? A common misconception is that many people think that all gun owners are associated with the NRA and that the NRA speaks for all gun owners. Through my research, I found that many gun owners do not agree with what the NRA is saying and that the NRA does not represent all gun owners. In fact, many gun owners agree with what gun control advocates are suggesting. For example, a recent poll states that many gun owners are in favor for more background checks in purchasing a firearm, while the NRA hates background checks and opposes it (Strong).

Finding the right research questions was long but rewarding in the end because if you can find the right question it gets easier to come up with arguments and have a better sources to look for.