Analyze the Following Study According to the Criteria Set by Your

Essay

Analyze the following study according to the criteria set by your instructor:
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that the number of handgun deaths in Vancouver,British Columbia,between 1980 and 1986 was less than one-fifth that of Seattle,120 miles to the south.Seattle's population is approximately 490,000,whereas Vancouver's is about 43,000.
In Seattle,handguns may legally be purchased for self-defense.After a thirty-day waiting period,a permit to carry a handgun as a concealed weapon can be obtained.Recreational uses are minimally restricted.In Vancouver,self-defense is not a legal reason to purchase a handgun.Concealed weapons are not permitted,and recreational weapons may be fired only at a licensed shooting club.
Dr.Henry Sloan,chief investigator for the study,said 388 homicides occurred in Seattle during the study period,while 204 occurred in Vancouver.The number of gun-related deaths in Seattle was 139,compared with 25 for Vancouver,he said.He stopped short of saying his findings prove Seattle's less strict gun-control laws cause more deaths,but said,"It virtually explains it."
Note:New gun-control laws went into effect in 1978.Sloan said Vancouver's laws were made stricter in 1978 but didn't change significantly.
-Adapted from Associated Press