This theory is a good fit for the research project as it weighs the benefits of gun control against the setbacks. It relates directly to the research question and clearly involves a variable that can be measured (Moore, 2001). As such, I intend to use it by comparing how the gun control laws prevent people from owning and using guns for their protection. Research will be conducted on scholarly sources to determine how much gun control laws have put people at risk of being attacked, when they could have been capable of self-protection (Van Evera, 1997).
This theory operates at a state level of analysis. It is so because research will be conducted on other countries as well so as to determine the strictness of their gun control laws and the resulting impact it has had on citizen safety. The variables that are acknowledged are the strictness of gun control laws and citizen safety. This theory seeks to explain the concept as it tries to determine the level to which gun control is impacting safety. This theory supports prediction as it features two variables that are dependent (Van Evera, 1997). When one changes, the other also becomes altered in one way or the other. For instance, once the theory has been supported, changing gun control laws will also lead to a change in safety of the citizens.
References
Moore, W. (2001). Evaluating Theory in Political Science. Retrieved from http://mailer.fsu.edu/~whmoore/garnet-whmoore/theoryeval.pdf.
Van Evera, S. (1997). Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.
