...The Great Gun Debate Introduction Among the more diverse issues in an already polarized society is a national perspective of guns (Hargrove & Perdue, 2015). The gun debate in the U.S. dates back to the 18th century, when the nation’s founders were crafting the Bill of Rights—the first ten amendments to the Constitution, adopted in 1791 (Smith & Ross, 2013). All gun control debates turn on interpretations of the Second Amendment, the worst written and most bizarre part of the constitution (Eichenwald, 2015). The Second Amendment gave Americans the right to “bear arms;” however, for more than 200 years, people have disagreed over how to interpret the amendment (Smith & Ross, 2013). Heated debates over guns have created division among “we the people.” On one end of the divide are pro-gun extremists. On the opposite end of the divide are anti-gun extremists. Then, there is the rational middle—the group that is often left out of the debate. This group typically consists of average law-abiding citizens who do not believe that Americans should be stripped of their rights to bear arms, but, rather, that some laws should be tightened up to ensure that guns and deadly accessories, such as high-capacity magazines, stay out of the wrong hands. Over the years, numerous mass shootings in schools have forced lawmakers to assess and tighten gun-control laws, which has also reignited the fiery gun debate. This assessment will attempt to uncover a proper course of action via a rigorous...
Words: 3335 - Pages: 14
...Case Study 1-To Plan or Not To Plan Case 1 Incidents: • Protesters storming in the reception area near president office • Steve, the radical leader, slaps the phone and knocks it from the secretary hand without touching her when she tried to call the campus police • Pulling out of a squirt gun threaten to blow the Secretary head off if she moves • Secretary Prudence collapses in a sobbing heap • Protesters tried to break down the locked door of the President • Protestors barricade the President door with filing cabinets • Protesters are singing “We Will Overcome.” • President Chandler was taking a nap and slept through the entire 10-minute incident • Secretary Prudence did not return to work for a week • Secretary Prudence was prescribed by doctor heavy doses of tranquilizers To plan a protest or not to plan a protest that is the question! It all happened when the Members of Students for Fair Tuition (SFT) decided to have a protest at Gigantic State University (GSU). It is possible some laws were violated, in this case. Protesting are usually planned and not held inside of a building. Knowing your rights as a protestor would be a good thing to know before planning a protest! Some universities have a Free Speech Zone, and there is some restrictions on the time and place of the speeches given. Some universities have policies in place to limit the amount of interferences with classes and university business. (Center for campus free speech. (n.d.). Retrieved from...
Words: 1065 - Pages: 5
...Gun Control Debate By Mary Dyke, Lindsey Kjer, Stuart Moneymaker, Christina Marquez and Josh Marr BCOM/275 April 15, 2013 Gun Control Debate Gun control is a heated topic for debate right now in the United States. Many people are pro-gun control while others are against it. One fact is: “The Second Amendment only restricts the federal and state governments from imposing gun control that would completely deprive citizens of the right to defend their homes and their right to take part in defending their liberties as members of a national militia” (Charles, 2013). There is always some level of gun control. It can rise of course, but they cannot be taken away to their entirety. There are many pros to debate as well as cons. As gun control is discussed, we will come across ethical, moral, and legal issues. The Pros of Gun Control Do we not have enough gun violence occurring in today’s society that we feel the need to grant Americans permission to bear arms? Regulation of guns is a necessary action that needs to be taken in order to save lives. Gun control is an effort to stop the rise in violent crime by strengthening laws on the ownership of firearms. “According to studies, 54 percent of Americans say stricter laws would reduce the number of deaths caused by mass shootings.” Terrorism, schools shootings and other modern circumstances cannot be prevented all together; however stricter gun laws will limit the access to firearms and decrease the rate of deaths. Many...
Words: 2455 - Pages: 10
...Internet Resources 1. Agresti, James D., and Reid K. Smith. "Gun Control Facts." 11 Feb. 2013 Web 18 Sept. 2014. http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp. This is a web document in which the authors cover pure statistics and facts. Graphs, tables, quotes, and statistics are all that this piece contains. This resource is useful since it was updated a little more than a year ago with the most recent data and continues to be updated as new stats and facts become available. It is also neutral in nature, giving just the facts and referencing both the affirmative and negative sides of the argument. 2. McEntee, Peg. “Utah Teacher Shoots Herself in Leg With Concealed Weapon.” Huffington Post 11 Sept. 2014 Web 18 Sept. 2014 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/11/teacher-shoots-self-concealed-weapon_n_5807826.html?utm_hp_ref=gun-control The Huffington Post is a news site with an entire section dedicated to news surrounding gun control, both recent and past. This article is helpful because it outlines the concealed carry laws in Utah schools, a state which has closely modeled it’s laws after Colorado’s. This article is useful because it describes some of the negative effect that concealed carry on campus has for the person carrying as well as the student population/their parents if they find out about the firearm. 3. Students for Concealed Carry. “Common Arguments Against Campus Carry.” Concealed Campus 2011-2012 Web Sept. 18 2014 http://concealedcampus.org/common-arguments/ ...
Words: 2184 - Pages: 9
...tell them to act responsibly… and bad people will find a way around the laws.” – Plato “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants” - Thomas Jefferson “The Constitution preserves the advantage of being armed, which Americans possess over the people of almost every nation… (Where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.” - James Madison -The Federalist Sandy Hook: Littleton, Colorado (Columbine): Newtown, Connecticut. These names strike fear in to anyone who was alive to hear about them as they happened. These were mass shootings in very public places, schools. Between the years of 1996-2013 a total of 84 attackers committed 77 attacks on schools in 15 countries killing 502 students and teachers and wounding 496 others worldwide. (See Table 1) It is my belief that these attacks were orchestrated upon the most helpless in our society in order to incite mass fear and chaos! Each crime was perpetrated with both handguns and rifles, or what these days are referred to as “assault rifles.” The term “assault rifle” is yet another mainstream media scare tactic designed solely for fear because many believe that for a civilian to possess what looks like a military weapon they must intend to murder. Hatred of other people because of race or status and the belief that “Someone” is holding them back is truly what is at the heart of killing and that guns are just the tool of choice. I began with the school shootings...
Words: 3879 - Pages: 16
...for More Gun Control Justin Sullivan DeVry University Prewriting What is your narrowed topic? Be detailed in your answer. You can use any of the versions you’ve developed for prior assignments. My chosen topic is the for less gun control in our society. Who is your primary audience or reader? Why? Be detailed in your answer about your audience. My paper is written towards members of our society that believe more stringent gun control is needed. However, the paper will be presented to my professor and classmates. In a sentence or short paragraph, what is your thesis statement, including your angle? Write what will appear in your essay. My point is that What topic sentences will you use as the foundation of your communication? (If necessary, add more points.) * * * * What method of organization and development will you use to develop your paragraphs? * Introduction: * * Body: * * * * * Conclusion: No Need for More Gun Control Turn on a television to just about any news channel, or pick up a newspaper, whether it is local or national and you will most assuredly find a segment on some sort of gun violence. This may be a shooting at a movie theater, a busy market place, a gang fight, or God forbid, an elementary school. These events and other similar events have lead to a question that is prevalent across the country: Should there be more gun laws and therefore more gun control...
Words: 2324 - Pages: 10
...Gun Control Laws in America Michael Turner Fayetteville State University English 120 Dr. Vicki F. Millspaugh-McKenzie 3/12/13 I feel that as an American we all are entitled to the “Right To Bear Arms” based on the Second Amendment. This is something that was giving to us by our forefathers, and shouldn’t be taking away. However, I do believe we need to set some parameters on guns are placed in people’s hands. Therefore I believe there should be tighter gun control laws in place. We do have the rights to bear arms but I do believe it should be monitor and restricted to some degree. This will help in decreasing the number of homicide and other gun related accidents. Gun control is a serious issue that most believe is saying take guns away from citizens; do not allow them to protect themselves. This is not what gun control is about. Gun control is “law controlling gun ownership: legal measures to license, control, or restrict the ownership of firearms by members of the public” (Encarta World Dictionary) This is why gun control is a topic people try to stay away from, because they don’t actually know what gun control really is and how it works. Gun control is so important because of the fact that it can tell who can control guns and who can’t. It enables us to know what can stop guns from going in the hands of convicted felonies and killers. This can be adjusted though because guns still make their way into felonies hands, and allow them to commit more crimes and...
Words: 1329 - Pages: 6
...Gun violence is not a new issue, nor is gun control a new argument. The “war on guns” dates all the way back to the infancy of the United States of America; the right to bear arms was guaranteed in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, and has been seen, in the more than two centuries since, as a cornerstone of American liberty. However, in the last few years, repeated mass killings have placed the gun control debate at the eye of the American political storm. In an effort to balance beliefs from both ends of the political spectrum - that gun ownership needs to be protected, while restricted enough to keep guns out of the hands of those who may do deadly harm with them - has come a lack of serious, effective legislation on the matter. The Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act - seen at its enactment as a milestone in the gun control movement - has proven itself ineffective at preventing the type of mass shooting that is, unfortunately, all too common today. These killings, and the high rates of gun violence overall, challenge the core values of social work practice, and the short- and long-term economic impact of this violence is, at best, counter-productive. Based on the research outlined in this document, it is necessary as social workers to create a culture of safety, and as a country to enact sensible gun...
Words: 1428 - Pages: 6
...• SUBSCRIBE • RENEW • GIVE A GIFT • DIGITAL EDITION Print | Close The Case for More Guns (And More Gun Control) HOW DO WE REDUCE GUN CRIME AND AURORA-STYLE MASS SHOOTINGS WHEN AMERICANS ALREADY OWN NEARLY 300 MILLION FIREARMS? MAYBE BY ALLOWING MORE PEOPLE TO CARRY THEM. By Jeffrey Goldberg The Century 16 Cineplex in Aurora, Colorado, stands desolate behind a temporary green fence, which was raised to protect the theater from prying eyes and mischief-makers. The parking lots that surround the multiplex are empty—weeds are pushing through the asphalt—and the only person at the theater when I visited a few weeks ago was an enervated Aurora police officer assigned to guard the site. I asked the officer whether the building, which has stood empty since the night of July 20, when a former graduate student named James E. Holmes is alleged to have killed 12 people and wounded 58 others at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises, still drew the curious. “People drive by to look,” he said, but “not too many.” The Aurora massacre is noteworthy, even in the crowded field of mass shootings, as one of the more wretched and demoralizing in the recent history of American violence, and I was surprised that the scene of the crime did not attract more attention. “I guess people move on,” he said. I walked up a slight rise that provided an imperfect view of the back of Theater 9, where the massacre took place, and tried to imagine the precise emotions the victims felt...
Words: 7234 - Pages: 29
...------------------------------------------------- THE CASE FOR MORE Guns (AND MORE GUN CONTROL). Language: English Authors: GOLDBERG, JEFFREY Source: Atlantic; Dec2012, Vol. 310 Issue 5, p68-78, 9p, 4 Color Photographs Document Type: Article Publication Information: Atlantic Media Company Subject Terms: GUN control -- United States CONCEALED weapons AURORA shootings, Aurora, Colo., 2012 COLUMBINE High School Massacre, Littleton, Colo., 1999 MAUSER, Tom FIREARMS -- Law & legislation -- United States SCHOOL shootings -- Prevention Geographic Terms: UNITED States Abstract: The article discusses gun control in the U.S. and argues for a connection between increased access to guns among law-abiding citizens and the prevention of gun violence. The author looks at several shootings such as the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado and the state's 1999 Columbine High School shooting. Topics include gun control advocate Tom Mauser whose son died in the Columbine shooting, laws related to U.S. gun shows and concealed weapons, as well as university policies. Document Information: Essay last updated: 20121204 Lexile: 1310 ISSN: 10727825 Accession Number: 83811665 Database: Literary Reference Center Translate Full Text: HTML Full Text ------------------------------------------------- THE CASE FOR MORE Guns (AND MORE GUN CONTROL) ListenSelect: THE CENTURY 16 CINEPLEX in Aurora, Colorado, stands desolate behind a temporary green fence,...
Words: 7441 - Pages: 30
...What is worse, guns or people that own them? Many people are asking this question, and the answer is neither. Guns are generally used for hunting or defense and are owned by great people. Also, some bad people do happen to own guns (often illegally) and they do bad things with them. But if they did not have a gun, they would use a knife or a bat, guns are just tools. The right for people to bear arms should not be taken away because it is a second amendment right, and when respected and used properly, they are not a danger. So let us talk about who owns guns and why. As of the year 2009 there are 307 million people living in the United States, and as of 2010 300 million of them own guns 100 million of those are handguns. Based on surveys, the following are estimates of private firearm ownership in the U.S. as of 2010: | |Households With a Gun |Adults Owning a Gun |Adults Owning a Handgun | |Percentage |40-45% |30-34% |17-19% | |Number |47-53 million |70-80 million |40-45 million | In the same poll, gun owners were asked why they own guns. 67% stated that they own guns to protect against crime, 66% said target shooting, and 41% said hunting. These being the main reasons people own guns, why should they lose their rights because of a few bad people who do happen to own guns. Based on a...
Words: 2270 - Pages: 10
...2002 Gun Control ________________________________________ SUMMARY Congress continues to debate the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and ammunition. Various federal laws have been enacted since 1934 to promote such regulation. Gun control advocates argue that they curb access by criminals, juveniles, and other "high-risk" individuals. They contend that only federal measures can successfully reduce the availability of guns. Some seek broad policy changes such as near-prohibition of non-police handgun ownership or the registration of all firearm owners or firearms. They assert that there is no constitutional barrier to such measures and no significant social costs. Others advocate less comprehensive policies that they maintain would not impede ownership and legitimate firearm transfers. Opposition to federal controls is strong. Gun control opponents deny that federal policies keep firearms out of the hands of high-risk persons; rather, they argue, controls often create burdens for law-abiding citizens and infringe upon constitutional rights provided by the Second Amendment. Some argue further that widespread gun ownership is one of the best deterrents to crime as well as to potential tyranny, whether by gangs or by government. They may also criticize the notion of enhancing federal, as opposed to state, police powers. The two most significant federal statutes controlling firearms in the civilian population are the National Firearms Act of 1934...
Words: 7074 - Pages: 29
...Abstract This paper critically analyzes gun rights in the United States and the economics of gun centralization. The phrase, “gun rights” refers to the second amendment in which it states that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The term, “gun centralization” is what is most commonly referred to as “gun control,” which is refusing citizens the right to keep certain or all firearms and keeping them solely in the hands of government. There are many different points of view on the issue of gun rights, coming from all political and religious views. It is near impossible to find the truth on the issue while wading through an ocean of loud, boisterous opinions on the extent of gun rights and whether people need guns at all. This paper critically assesses the Republican and Democrat points of views on the two issues, and draws a conclusion to the legitimacy of gun centralization, better known as gun control. Ethical Dilemma Research Paper Gun Rights and the Legitimacy of Gun Centralization Gun control has been the highlight of the news lately. Politicians and caring people all across the United States have seen the tragic events, such as the Sandy Hook shooting, and are now demanding a government takeover of firearms. The dilemma occurs within the right-left political paradigm, two differing ideologies, where the labeled “left” are strongly for gun control, and the labeled “right” are strongly...
Words: 4345 - Pages: 18
...Teachers and Weapons in Schools Jessica Rhodes Composition II WI12 Instructor S. Cochran February 10, 2013 Abstract In this paper, I will explore the controversial question of whether teachers should be allowed or required to carry weapons on school campuses. The question of whether the topic should be entertained has come up time and again after tragedies occur, the timeline of which will be summarized herein. The recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that devastated the nation on December 14, 2012, has wrenched this debate crudely back into the spotlight. I will investigate different types of protective instruments that could possibly be used, as well as what types are used in schools that have such regulations. I will delve into the reasoning behind states that have implemented laws that allow teachers to carry guns in school and/or at school events. Included within are excerpts from this writer’s first-person interview conducted with Maria Otero-Ball, a kindergarten teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a teacher of children the same age as those involved in the Newtown tragedy, Mrs. Otero-Ball offers a first-hand view on the changes that she and the school have made following the tragedy, as well as her views on the practicality of weapons in the school. My goals in preparing this paper are to expand my thoughts on the subject, peruse the thoughts of others, and explore the statistics to provide a better overall understanding of...
Words: 3993 - Pages: 16
...Quarter 2015 Volume 13, Number 4 The U.S. Gun-Control Paradox: Gun Buyer Response To Congressional Gun-Control Initiatives Michael A. Jones, Ph.D., Southeastern Louisiana University, USA George W. Stone, Ph.D., North Carolina A&T University, USA ABSTRACT Many scholars and interest groups in the U.S. advocate for more gun-control in terms of restrictions on sales. Following the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012, The Obama Administration initiated legislation to restrict gun sales. Coincidentally, U.S. firearm sales surged to record levels and ammunition shortages occurred. This article examines the gun control issue in the U.S. in light of the events of 2013, demonstrating the paradox which gun-control advocates face. The authors provide background information on the gun-control debate including the social cost of gun-violence and the U.S. political battle over the issue. Keywords: U.S. Gun-Control Paradox; Gun-Control Debate; Congressional Gun-Control Initiatives INTRODUCTION T his study examines the response of US firearm and ammunition consumers to the Obama Administration’s 2013 initiative to pass new gun control legislation. After staying-clear of guncontrol during his first term, President Obama initiated a dialog proposing the need for new gun control legislation after the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy in December 2012 (McWhinnie 2013). What followed was a sharp increase in gun sales and a run on ammunition which lead to...
Words: 4886 - Pages: 20
