Gary started the class off by showing us the map of different counties in the state of Massachusetts and how the counties change overtime, sometimes in just a span of few decades. Then we started talking about the data set.
During this session I had come up with a second question…
I would like to learn about gun laws across different counties and states. For example, what is the age requirement to own a gun in a particular state? Is open carry legal there? How about Permits and background checks? Are gun laws stricter in some states and more lenient in others?
If some states have more lenient laws, that could mean more people running around with guns, potentially leading to an increase in police shootings, right? To analyze this, I would need to categorize states into two groups: strict and lenient. By comparing these groups, I could find out whether stricter gun laws correlate with lower violence and fewer shootings.
But, how should I define “strict” versus “lenient” gun laws? What criteria should I use to make this distinction?