...In America’s current society, individuals are granted the opportunity for great freedom, but how much freedom is too much? The issue of gun violence is prevalent in today’s society, and it seems that a large portion of this violence could be resolved if only gun control was more rampant. Specialists have indicated that small arms, such as rifles and pistols, are responsible for somewhere between 60 percent and 90 percent of all clash-related deaths (Grillot 529). The Center for Disease Control approximates there to be over 31,000 gun-related deaths and 81,000 nonfatal gun-related incidents each year ("Gun Violence and Mass Shootings — Myths, Facts and Solutions"). With nearly 283 million guns in circulation around the United States, it is easy...
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...environment for children and teenagers in today`s world. On average, there are 13,000 deaths in the United States resulting from gun violence each year. 150,000 students have experienced a school shooting since the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999, and that number continues to rise. It is obvious that something needs to change to protect children of all ages in schools, but this will not happen on its own. Everyone must get on board, students, parents, teachers, politicians, citizens, to implement better mental health care, education, and support, improved threat assessment protocol, and change gun laws and regulations. It should not be a battle to end students dying in schools; we all play a part in ending...
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...Gun Control Anthony D. Torres COM 220 August 5th, 2012 Mary Trapasso Does gun control affect the way we live? Every year, in the United States, there are over thirty thousand deaths attributed to gun violence. Gun control and its laws are designed to save lives while ensuring a safer and more civilized society. Although these laws do nothing to prevent crimes; they are in place to ensure that those who violate them are punished and removed from society, thereby preventing future crimes. Supporters and opponents of gun control agree guns should be kept out of the hands of criminals. The ability for people to use a firearm while defending themselves from harm or possible death at the hands of a criminal is not debatable, it is a Constitutional Right. Gun control laws save lives and continue to have positive effects within our nation. The Second Amendment in the US Constitution grants law abiding citizens the right to own a gun for self-defense. The amendment states that “a well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (Find Law, 2012). Even though it is a right to bear arms, the purchase of firearms has become more difficult and almost impossible for people with criminal backgrounds. Those with felony convictions, fugitives from justice, dishonorably discharged from the military, illegal aliens in the United States, convicted of domestic violence, and people who possess restraining...
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...Violence in A Long Way Gone In the novel, A Long Way Gone, there were a lot of acts of violence that revolved around the main character, Ishmael Beah. Much of this violence was similar to the violence in chapter 11 of How To Read Literature Like a Professor. The many types of violence in this book have different functions. The second book explains the functions, symbolical meaning, and types of violence. Violence can have a symbolic or thematic function. It shows us that violence lurks in everyday tasks and that violence is always metaphorical. There are two types of violence: injury and narrative. Injury violence is when authors cause characters to harm others. Narrative violence is the general harm of characters. The characters do nothing to cause this violence. Injury violence occurs throughout the entirety of the novel. The rebel forces attacked Ishmael's town and killed most of the civilians. An example of narrative violence is when Ishmael's uncle died from a disease. The author includes this violence to spur action, cause plot complications, and trigger stress in other characters. When the rebels attacked Ishmael's village he was separated from the rest of his family. It was up to Ishmael to decide whether he wanted to risk his life to search for his family or if he wanted to flee for safety. Later in the novel Ishmael and his group of stay in a village. The village is attacked, but Ishmael is able to escape just in time. However he has also lost his friends...
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...Mellott Mapping an Argument Article #1 Gun Control The article’s issue was about gun control in the United States and how the constitution should be challenged on this controversial topic. Discussions about citizens’ rights to bear arms extend back to ancient times. Supporters of gun control would like even tighter restrictions on the sale and circulation of firearms. According to Samuel Adams he argued that the Constitution should never be interpreted “to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.” Several stated premises in the article were that “Opponents of gun control interpret the Second Amendment as the guarantee of a personal right to keep and bear arms.” In two other rulings, the Supreme Court reaffirmed this view in upholding New Jersey’s tough gun control law in 1969 (Burton v. Sills) and in supporting the federal ban on possession of firearms by felons in 1980 (Lewis v. United States). Gun control laws have several functions. They may be designed to hinder certain people from gaining access to any firearms. The laws may limit possession of certain types of weapons to the police and the military. A person who wants to make a gun purchase or obtain a gun license may be subject to a waiting period. Gun-control laws vary from country to country. The following stated premises are that gun violence also affects more than its victims. Opponents of gun control interpret the Second Amendment...
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...STRICTER GUN LAWS IN AMERICA America needs stricter measures on gun usage because other countries have clearly shown that it is possible to have a much lower percentage of gun-related violence. The obvious changes that America needs to improve on are stricter gun-control laws, and a system of education before people are allowed to own guns. Guns were used in 11,078 homicides in the U.S. in 2010, comprising almost 35% of all gun deaths, and over 68% of all homicides (Statistics on, 2012). Between 1955 and 1975, the Vietnam War killed over 58,000 American soldiers less than the number of civilians killed with guns in the U.S. in an average two-year period (Statistics on, 2012). They can cause harm, death and even destruction. These weapons are powerful both socially and physically and thus very important to pay close attention to where these laws over gun control are headed. The directions of gun control laws not only affect our society and nation but also our future. In America close to eleven thousand people die in relation to handgun incidences in a year. This is a big number compared to other nations like Japan, Sweden and Great Britain where their death number in gun related issues is below one hundred (Prentice et al , 2009).The reason behind this drastic differences is that the above mentioned nations require safety courses on gun usage and their gun control laws are more strict. There is a direct relationship between number of deaths as a result of guns and...
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...“Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions- disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior”, (Mayoclinic). People diagnosed with mental disorders reflect on their past to institute the reason being in the condition they are faced with firsthand. A diagnosis of a mental health condition is not only a fraction of the behavioral effect of the average human being’s behavior, but a dosage of daily struggles one will experience firsthand. Mental illness is a controversial issue, however society needs to understand that mental illness is not something you are born with, but solely a condition that affects the path you take, because of life events and traumatic experiences, not genetic inheritance (The Telegraph). To begin with, mental disorders are nothing to be ashamed of, these conditions associated with changes in thinking, behavior, and functional abilities, however mental illness has become a large factor in contributing to American society. In other words, being diagnosed with a mental disorder impacts the American society in various ways, such as the troubles in daily functioning, distress, and traumatic involuntary memory. In fact, organizations such as the World Health Organization issued a report that 25 percent of the American population is affected by a mental or behavioral disorder during their life (Schmidt). For example, society and individuals romanticize mental illness far too often, social media plays a large role because people aspire...
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...“So why is the idea of a gun good when it's used to protect our president, our country, or our police, but bad when it's used to protect our children in their schools?” (LaPierre.) The context for this is that LaPierre explained that it is the duty of adults to protect children. The flaunting of the idea that school campuses are fire-armless makes them an easy target for psychopaths that would dare shoot up or harm a student body at a school. This idea that gun-free campuses make schools less likely to be shot up is one that he debates as well. The numbers back up the claim that flaunting the idea of the zones being firearms makes them inherently more dangerous, as proven in ammo.com’s database: “There have been 2,646 school shooting incidents in the U.S. since 1966. Of those, 2,205 (94%) occurred after the 1990 School Zone Safety Act (amended in 1995).” The statistics show that the passing of the act led to far more shootings than it actually prevented. He makes the point that if society uses guns to protect some of the most important members, why is it not used to protect the lives of children who will make up the future of the world? This testimony is important as the vice president of a company whose intention is to sell firearms knows who is using...
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...leaders at the time gained their independence. The second is the post-independence struggle that each country faced after. The last is how these countries came from the previous changes to develop into the countries they are today. Looking at a back story of these two countries show us their roles in today’s politics and how their reception is viewed by other counties. Great leaders facilitated the uniting of China, and India’s population into ‘fighting’ for independence, but using fighting not as a literal word to show they each had a cause and needed to combat to overcome it. India’s leader is very famous for his non-violence approach to overcoming the British imperialist. Mahatma Gandhi was born very privileged and studied in England to become a lawyer. He came back to India and wanted to see people free of economic and social change in his country. Gandhi’s method preached of nonviolence, and more of a civil disobedience to the British. In one quote he says “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” He wanted to have the sense of nationhood between the Hindu’s and Muslims against the British racial policies, and brutality to India’s local population become common ideas the common man could relate too. The revolutionary violence of Mao Zedong totally conflicts against Gandhi’s struggle for Independence. As Gandhi was contrary to using violence, Mao...
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...Heller and Lopez vs. the United States: a look at Supreme Court gun law cases, rulings, and the current abuse of executive privilege under the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment to the Constitution is the right to keep and bear arms by every law abiding citizen in the United States. In this dialog, we will look at the aforementioned Supreme Court cases to better understand the limitations of the Central Governments ability to interfere with this individual right. In the case of the District of Columbia vs. Heller, the primary issue in this case was the complete ban of handguns in homes within the District of Columbia unless they are unserviceable. This case was brought by Dick Heller in an action claiming that a complete ban violates the 2nd Amendment right guaranteed to the citizens of this country. In the case of Lopez vs. the United States, Congress attempted to control where individuals could carry weapons through the invalid use and exercise of the commerce clause power. At first look into the District of Columbia vs. Heller case, the power to solicit and control gun regulation belongs to the States, not the Federal Government. The District of Columbia is not a state and therefore does not possess the authority to install gun regulations on the citizenry living there as they are residents of Maryland and Virginia and are so governed by the gun laws which exist in those states depending on which state they...
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...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...
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...homes, and chances are, one of them will have a gun. In a study done by Harvard University in 2004, thirty-eight percent of American households reported owning at least one gun. For generations, it has been a proudly proclaimed by Americans that they have the right to bear arms. This right, however, is under attack from the forty-six percent of Americans who now believe that the United States needs to pass stricter gun laws or change the second amendment. This number is decreased three points from just four months ago (Diamond). The second amendment should not be repealed or amended due to the Supreme Court’s YEAR ruling on the second amendment, the lack of success of gun control in other countries, and the necessity of...
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...Rex Walls’ and Rose Mary’s Questionable Parenting Being married and having kids doesn't make good parents. Good parenting usually comes from a united and loving marriage. In the memoir The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls struggles through life but still makes it through tough times. Rex and Rose Mary Walls are not great parents because they put there own needs in front of the needs of their children and are inadequate role models. Rex Walls and Rose Mary buy unnecessary artifacts not needed in their time of need, therefore putting themselves in front the kids. Rose Mary and Rex Walls were thinking about buying their kids beds shortly after moving, but Jeannette’s “Mom decided that what we really needed was a piano.” (Walls 52) This kind of parenting is terrible because the piano wasn’t needed in this case, the kids needed a bed. Therefore they put their own needs and things that they want in front of the things that their children need....
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...Violence in the media has been a growing problem ever since the emergence of mass media. You have to wonder how violence has become so prominent in our culture. More minors are being involved in heinous crimes such as murders and armed robberies. Even play on the school ground is getting rougher. There are many factors that play into the increasing violence, such as over population, religious struggles, and race. One factor that plays into the increase of violence would be mass media. Mass media has the power to reach and influence almost every American. Radio, newspaper, and television are all means by which media reaches people. Television however, can be considered the most influential. Ninety-eight percent of Americans have a television in their household. When it first came out it was considered a novelty, there were only a few channels and the signal was not very clear. Now it is available through air broadcast, cable, or satellite. Television has become part of everyday life. With the growing fixation and attraction to violence in the media, children in today’s society are becoming more violent and aggressive. After reading the article "Violent Culture: The Media, the Internet, and Placing Blame," the author brings up the point that the media was turning the focus of blame in Kip Kinkel case on the internet. He cited examples of how easily information about building bombs and guns was to get on the internet. Yes these types of things are easily found on the internet...
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...essay presents a powerful theme of inner conflict. Orwell feels strong inner conflict between what he believes as a human being, and what he believes and should do as an imperial police officer. The author is amazingly effective in illustrating this conflict by providing specific examples of contradictory feelings, by providing an anecdote that exemplified his feelings about his situation, and by using vivid imagery to describe his circumstances. A police officer in the British Raj, the supposedly 'unbreakable'; ruling force, was afraid. With his gun aimed at an elephant's head, he was faced with the decision to pull the trigger. That officer was George Orwell, and he writes about his experience in his short essay “Shooting an Elephant” to save face, he shrugged it off as his desire to “avoid looking the fool” (George Orwell, 77). In truth, the atmosphere of fear and pressure overwhelmed him. His inner struggle over the guilt of being involved in the subjugation of a people added to this strain, and he made a decision he would later regret enough to write this story. In his essay, Orwell describes how the abuses and treatment he witnessed oppressed him with an intolerable sense of guilt, (Orwell, 72). This is not some minor pang, or nagging worry. The shame pressed down on his shoulders with an unbearable weight. He also describes the injustices in detail, using vivid pictures like 'The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages (Orwell, 72). This...
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