...In any argument there are always different sides or opinions, and they often have a couple very different things to say. For example in the argument about gun control there are two basic sides, pro-gun control and anti-gun control, both side have people who are dedicated to this argument and stage rallies and protests for their sides. Statistics are key in any argument as well as a having a strong opinion, a plan for action and being well organized. Gun control is important because it concerns the safety of the country as a whole and can ultimately shape the place where families and communities live. Statistics are the backbone for any convincing argument and people on both sides of the argument for gun control use statistics to prove their point. Pro-gun control supporters use statistics to try to show that putting restrictions on guns and gun ownership could stop the growing trend of mass murders “Since 1982, there have been at least 61 mass murders carried out with firearms across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii”. The pro-gun side counters with the idea that not all guns used in crime and murders are purchased legally “Despite Chicago's...
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...Debate Paper: Gun Ownership versus Gun Prohibition Mark Mitchell XBCOM-275 April 27, 2014 Daniel Anderson Debate Paper: Gun Ownership versus Gun Prohibition Gun control (prohibition) is one of those matters on which practically every person has a view and those views are deeply maintained. Whether a person is pro-gun or anti-gun is based on each's opinion and are repeatedly established not on real details but rather on crude passions driven by extensively broadcasted distortions regarding the use and misuse of guns. Additionally, most people have the same opinion that gun-related injuries or death of unintended person should by no means tolerated, although there is a wide range of opinions on what the course of action to take in an attempt to obtain a proper solution. So in the interest of clarifying this subject of which is right and proper, whether it is the Private ownership of guns or the prohibitions of guns (or if the answer lies somewhere in the middle) is truly right for the country; enter the debate. As to reasons in support of pro-guns ownership for private citizens, comes from one of the founding fathers Thomas Jefferson (n.d.) who eloquently stated “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." He also said," No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” This belief was not his alone but that of all the founding fathers. This belief was so...
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...Gun Control: The Battle Rages On Tyler D. Scott Ozarks Technical Community College Abstract This paper discusses and is centered around the on-going debate over gun control, I directly address how each major political party views this subject and what I believe the United States Government should do to be able to best combat this tremendous issue. I use research from multiple sources that contrast each side of the argument and give an overall insight into the world of modernized gun control. Gun Control: The Battle Rages On With the Second Amendment giving American citizens the rights to bear arms, and approximately fifty percent of Americans owning some form of a firearm, issues involving the ownership and possession of guns have led to heated debates in American society. Most notably is the issue of gun control. Many feel that the some form of gun regulation is necessary in order to lower the level of gun related violence in the country. On the other hand, the opponents of gun control feel that it would be an infringement on their second amendment rights. The outcome and extent of gun control has strong political implications because it basically determines the present day meaning of the Second Amendment. While each side has strong points to their arguments, one quote by writer Michael Warfel basically sums up the need for gun control. He writes, “An individual’s right to own and bear arms must be balanced by the greater social needs of a society” (Warfel, 2000, p...
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... 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/ Students for Concealed Carry is...
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...Gun Control in America Peter Z Bliss ENG/215 February 2, 2012 Kim Holloway Gun Control in America Gun control is a debate topic that comes up every election and when a major event happens that involving guns. Pro-gun lobbyists say “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” [ (Hagan, 2007) ] the anti-gun advocates want to take away the right to bear arms. This topic has no right or wrong answer it is a preference of the individual. This is why gun control is such a fiercely debated topic. Implementing gun control Gun control cannot determine an accurate measurement according to research as there are two key components to the research lacking. What is the crime rate with no gun control? There is no documented research showing what the baseline is without gun control. Different government parties have each placed their own gun controls as a universal solution. These controls are mandatory locks sold with every gun purchase, and limitations on different classification of guns a citizen may own (Moorhouse & Wanner, 2006). Part two of measuring gun control is making sure the gun control laws are in place along with proper enforcement of the law. An example of this could have a blanket gun control law for a state. Each county within that state will potentially have a different outcome of this law. With the effort their law enforcement offices and judicial system place on enforcing that law. Gun control law enforcement is a large part of the accurate measurement...
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...& Business Ethics Gun Control vs. Gun Violence The debate over gun control in the United States has been a topic of controversy over the years. In particular, the killing of twenty schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut. In December 2012 this mass shooting fueled a national discussion over gun laws. However, compromise legislation would have banned semiautomatic assault weapons and expanded background checks was defeated in the senate in 2013, despite extensive public support. Arguments for more restrictive gun laws http://gun.laws.com/gun-rights/gun-control-versus-gun-rights As society continues to diversify and human beings become more individualistic, we drift further apart from understanding each other. The gun control debate is not directly effected by this, but psychologically human beings fear what we don't understand. In a society with hundreds of cultures, differences and arguments can arise out of nothing. Words are one thing but the use of firearms is an entirely different topic. With less restrictive laws on purchasing and ownership a seemingly pointless feud could intensify into murder. Guns give a man power, with power inevitably comes abuse. There is a high rate of gun-related violence http://gun.laws.com/gun-rights/gun-control-versus-gun-rights The United States leads the world in gun violence and ownership. There is a direct correlation. This is perhaps the most obvious argument made in the gun control debate-guns kill people, most of...
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...discusses the partisanship involved in two major American political issues, guns and abortion. The beliefs of most people of these two political debates mostly coincide with their political party, with Democrats being on the side for gun control and be pro-choice, while Republicans are on the side of less gun control and be pro-life. Navarrette argues that this partisanship, these contrasting views with no grey in between, is fracturing the country, and politics is not about absolutes. She goes on to describe that there are people in the United States, including the author herself, that have beliefs in this grey area, and that going more to the fringes is...
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...The gun control debate is one of the hottest topics of current media - and it will be discussed further in this paper. This research paper will be oriented against gun control, therefore being for gun ownership. Many aspects of gun control will be discussed, and the argument of this this research paper will be for gun rights and ownership. A lesser-known but important topic in the larger scale gun control debate is handicapped individuals owning a firearm and permit for self defense. Handicapped citizens are more opposed to gun control laws than most, due to the fact that some grips and stocks that are illegal are more necessary (Ennis, 2013). Assault-style weapons, such as AR-15’s, are very customizable, and such customizations could compensate for an individual’s disabilities. Banning that genre of firearms would remove the broad personalization options, and therefore making it more difficult for handicapped shooters to modify a gun to their needs. Also, some disabled shooters may have certain conditions that prevent them from assuming a normal shooting stance. If accommodations can made for the shooter to use their gun effectively, such as a lighter weight gun or laser...
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...Get a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns by Molly Ivins In the “Get a Knife, Get a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns”, Molly’s Ivins main point is an absolute abolition of civilian gun ownership, and gun control in the Second Amendment. She begins her essay with a fact that she is not anti-gun, she is pro-knife. Also another fact is that as a civil libertarian she supports the Second Amendment. During the all essay she urged us to consider the pros of knifes, giving the benefits of the knife she stating that, “A general substitution of knifes for gun would promote physical fitness.” She is absolutely convinced that the guns are more dangerous than knifes, because the guns can ricochet, and it is a fact that people are less likely to be killed by cleaning their knife as they would be cleaning their gun. In this way the author shows the probability of accidental killing, and indicates the accuracy why the guns should be taken under strict control. She believes that the Second Amendment has a reliability and means exactly what is says, “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”, and she refer that a 14 years old youths, and crazy religions that should not owned a guns, because they are not a part of the Amendment. She insists that guns should be just in militia hands, and citizens also are not part of this Amendment. Then Molly Ivins infer that guns in the citizen’s hands will...
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...One could make the argument that stricter gun control laws will make society safer. That a decrease in crime, injury and death will make society safer. Now let us assume that hostile individuals seeking to commit crimes or harm others often use a gun to carry out their destructive objectives. One could argue that gun control laws would prevent hostile individuals from acquiring guns, and if we assume that these individuals would be less of a threat if they did not have a gun, then stricter gun control laws would make society safer. Now, let us assume that less strict gun control laws would result in more people carrying guns. It would then result in more criminals carrying guns because they feel that this is a necessary measure in order to adequately defend themselves from vigilante justice. If we say that more people and criminals carrying guns would result in more frequent gun-related deaths and injuries, then stricter gun control laws would again result in a safer society. Guns can be mishandled by their owners, which may result in the injury or death of the gun :owner or an unsuspecting, innocent individual. Statistics show that there is a correlation between the laxity of a country's gun laws and its suicide rate. Let’s say that individuals would be less successful in committing suicide if they did not have access to a gun, and that stricter gun control laws will make guns more difficult for individuals to obtain, and then stricter gun control laws would make society safer...
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...Gun Control Stephen Devoid BCOM 275 July 3, 2013 Dean Clark Gun Control This topic of Gun Control is one of the most argued in this country. The article I read was written by Josh Sager. Mr. Sager’s paper covers what he calls 15 Pro-Gun” arguments and debunks them. His first argument is to address the 2nd Amendment and how he feels about people who believe that it was written for the rights of individuals to keep and bear arms are misinformed. Mr Sager writes. “Those who make this argument are misinformed as to the original intent of the 2nd Amendment and have either been tricked by the modern gun lobby’s marketing or are actively perverting its meaning” (Segar, 2012). Although Mr. Sager makes his point with a written quote from Chief Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger about his thought on the 2nd Amendment and its meaning on protecting every Americans right to own guns. “…one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word ‘fraud,’ on the American public by special interest groups that I’ve ever seen in my life time. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies—the militias—would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.” What Mr. Segar fails to realize is the credibility of his source. Because another credible source the US Supreme Court, in 2008 declared...
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...massacres, gun control has once again been thrust back onto the main stage in the United States. In a New York Times op-ed titled, “How to Win an Argument About Guns”, Nicholas Kristof takes on this very issue. According to his bio, Kristof has been a foreign correspondent and columnist for the New York Times since 2001. However, his bio says nothing about any involvement with firearm related topics. This makes his opinions less trustworthy than that of an actual expert on the issue. Kristof is very pro gun control and dispels five main myths from those that oppose his views on gun control. The author believes that greater restrictions and laws concerning firearms will lead to a safer country and far less casualties....
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...Gun Ban Debate Gun ban debate In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, to hunt for food and to engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control takes on a proportion of extreme magnitude. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution. So what is gun control?. Gun control is the effort to restrict or limit the possession and use of guns. The gun control debate may be one of the most important issues in our society. Regardless of whether people support it or not, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that the 2nd Amendment restrains the government’s ability to limit the kind of immediate ban of handguns that has existed in some parts of America such as Washington DC. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" That's the campaign that the National Riffle Association made. It's a compelling argument whether it might be right , or it might be wrong . ...
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...The debate surrounding gun control is one that can be very emotional and is often fueled by anger. This makes it an argument that is hard to balance if that emotion isn’t utilized effectively. In her piece “Get a Knife, Get a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns” columnist Molly Ivins fails to properly utilize emotion in a way that gets the reader on her side. In the article “The Progressive Gun-Control Charade” law professor and author Nicholas Johnson stays level-headed which, ultimately, works to his advantage in making him more agreeable. Both writers manage to add something to the discussion; however, Johnson argues his case just a bit better. Ivins’ clearly states her case: get rid of guns – all of them. While her unwavering conviction condemning the usage of guns entirely can be considered admirable, her overpowering anger works against her. She puts herself on one side of the extreme in such an aggressive way it alienates herself from being understood by the other...
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...Is gun control an important issue in the United States? The true issue is whether or not gun control will make a difference in society. Discussions on the topic tend to revolve around three major points: human behavior, moral principles, and legal boundaries (Lee and Stingl). Gun control is a controversial issue that from a pro gun control perspective has the good intentions of reducing gun-related violence. However, research shows it will have no effect, and in fact it could make matters worse. Those who are opposed to gun control believe if you restrict law abiding citizens from owning guns then the only people that will have them will be the criminals. The debate for more gun control is backed up with a strong argument and valid points....
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