The FBI and many states keep voluminous crime statistics, which can be used for student projects. The hypotheses you can test are debated hotly. Criminologists have suggested that homicide rates can be linked to gun control, criminal penalties (such as death or life imprisonment), percentage of young men in the population, and even abortion rates. Some sociologists link homicide to culture, claiming that Southern states and some ethnic groups have cultures that esteem violence as a response to various offenses. We do not prefer any of these theories: your student project can examine the hypothesis that you favor with data culled from the internet.