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Paden Mecham
English 1010
22 Nov. 2015
Peterson
Why Gun Control?
Why is the need for gun control so important today? With everything
that goes on in the world today is this as important as it seems to be? I dont
know much about the policy or legislature on the second amendment. Over
the last year that I have seen the news something is always happening with
this issue. That is why I chose to research this topic and to find out more
about why there are so many different opinions about the subject. As a
hopeful future educator it interests me to know what regulations that will be
in place to help prevent events such as Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Sandy
Hook from happening again. Each of these school shootings made an impact
on the local communities and nationally. Columbine High School massacre
happened in 1999, Virginia Tech happened in 2007, and Sandy Hook
Elementary occurred in 2012. These terrible events span over 10 years and
there hasnt been much done or changed since. Most recently there was the
Umpqua Community College Shooting. These massacres are going to keep
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17Nov.2015. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
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Summary: Author Kurt Eichenwald discusses in his article, The Bullet
Initiative that people need to begin to look at the bullets and accessories
that can be added to the weapons, not just the weapons themselves. The
author is very bold in his opinion and position, and even calls out the
National Rifle Association for working for years to make sure lunatics and
felons can obtain guns as easily as possible (pp.42). Eichenwald gives a
solution to help the problem. He says There is, however, a simple solution, a
common-sense compromise that will infuriate both sets of extremists in the
gun debate, but would place the united states on a saner path (pp.38). The
author gives these seven steps to help the United States get on that path, as
well as referencing some supreme court cases to help make his point.
BAN ACCESSORIES that serve no purpose other than to transform
guns into weapons of mass slaughter, such as attachable drums that carry
100 rounds. ADOPT RULES that make it harder for criminals and the
mentally ill to obtain firearms. OUTLAW THE public display of weapons.
ALLOW THE concealed carry of guns using the shall issue standard.
STOP TRYING to ban scary-looking add-ons that primarily protect the
shooter, but dont make the gun more dangerous to others. FORGET
ATTACKS on the armor-piercing bullets. ABANDON EFFORTS to outlaw
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also supports her view points by sharing why specific politicians are passing
these laws in some states across the nation.
Assessment: This article has really helped me to understand that there are
many individuals out there who could potentially pose a threat to the safety
of communities around the nation. Many of those people who are threats are
domestic abusers. I did not even think about how dangerous these people
could be. More often than not I think of people who are high risk to
communities as people who are put into prison and gang members and
completely overlook abuse situations. The article also helped me to gain a
greater comprehension that because the federal government is not doing
much about this issue, more and more states are stepping up and protecting
the second amendment while also protecting the citizens who reside in each
respective state.
Lieberman, Michael R. A Loaded Debate: The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
In The Twenty-First Century. Albany Law Review. 78.2 (2015): 743748. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=110843374&site=ehost-live
Summary: The article was one that had a lot of information about the
different people who helped discuss the topic of the second amendment at
the Albany Law School fall symposium. It starts off with listing all the
members of the different panels and their credentials and accolades. Then
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Summary: Author Josh Sanburn begins the article by discussing the most
recent mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. The author
described with minor details the events that happened there and then
discussed how many people thought there again would be no changes to gun
safety policies. The author is hopeful because of what has happened in
recent years after the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut at Sandy Hook
Elementary. Sanburn said speaking of Newtown, it produced a series of
aggressive efforts around the country to regulate gun sales. Within a year,
12 state legislatures expanded background checks on gun purchases (pp.
11). The author then describes five things that could be done to stop these
massacres. The steps are dont name shooters, compel mental-health
treatment, crack down in schools, let cops confiscate guns, [and] make gun
manufacturers liable (Sanburn pp.12). One of the interesting things the
author discusses within the point of not using the name of the shooter is that
one of the motives that could be used to drive some of the mass killers is
because they seek the fame and public attention. And not using the name of
the shooter after the tragic events have occurred could have an affect on
future killings of the same nature.
Analysis: The article appeals to the audience through the use of images
placed within the article. At the very beginning of the article you see a
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Assessment: Gun Control After Newtown was a great article to find. It had
plenty of personal experiences from those who were directly effected by the
horrific moments at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It was a bit tougher of
an article to read. This is because the author, being an editor, uses a few
complex terms that someone who hasnt graduated from college wouldnt
understand.
With everything that I have read and found of the last few weeks I have
learned many things. The first thing that I learned is that there is something
that must be done to make it safer for the American people to own guns.
There are individuals who are in government positions, both on the state and
national level, who want to make changes and are using many different
medias, as well as targeting specific demographics to get individuals to
support some sort of change. The second thing I learned is that there are
many different things that must be taken into accountability when we look at
the individuals who have committed some of these mass murders. Also
looking at some of these individuals you cant say that the whole reason why
they did these horrible things is that they had mental illness or stability.
There are so many other factors that lead them to act. We must ask why, and
not settle for the common excuse. The questions that did come out of this
research are why can the nation not agree on changes that need to be
made? Are there simpler solutions? And why must the individual states
make the changes to the laws rather than the national politicians passing
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them so it is the same nationwide? There are a few people that I know who
are in politics so I may have the opportunity to ask them this question.
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Works Cited
COLLIER, CHARLES W. "Gun Control in America: An Autopsy Report." Dissent
(00123846) 60.3 (2013): 81-86.
AcademicSearchPremier.Web.13Nov.2015.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=88303005&site=ehost-live>
EICHENWALD, KURT. "THE BULLET INITIATIVE. (Cover Story)." Newsweek
Global 165.4 (2015): 36-45. Academic Search Premier. Web.
17Nov.2015. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=108354471&site=ehost-live>
Khimm, Suzy. In Tragedys Wake. New Republic 246.12 (2015): 13-15.
Academic Search
http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu/login.aspx?
direct=ture&db=aph&AN=109984485&site=ehost-live
Lieberman, Michael R. A Loaded Debate: The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
In The Twenty-First Century. Albany Law Review. 78.2 (2015): 743748. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=110843374&site=ehost-live
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Sanburn, Josh, et al. A Familiar Tragedy Calls For Unfamiliar Solutions. Time
186.15 (2015): 11-13. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Nov 2015.
http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=110220244&site=ehost-live
ZORNICK, GEORGE. "Gun Control After Newtown." Nation 299.14 (2014): 2225. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18
Nov.2015.<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=98350561&site=ehost-live