FYS 100 Anti-Gun Control Josh Hughes 2/13/14

The second amendment guarantees American citizens the right to bear arms, and there

have been a lot of debate over the years regarding whether the United States should keep the

second amendment the way it is, or whether the country should modify or abolish the

amendment with legislation and restrictions.

I read and looked over three articles in the pursuit of critical thinking, and for the

purpose of forming my assigned opinion. Article number one was titled Gun Control: An

Overview. I was asked to consider six questions in order to dissect the articles at hand.

The first article gives a history of the debate and goes over key terms that others should

understand in order to grasp a full understanding of the entire gun control debate

through both points of view.

The other two articles go into depth a lot more in order to dive into the opinions of

others on both sides of this hotly debated topic.

The second article was titled Point: Controlling Gun Violence is more important than

Controlling Guns. The title is pretty straightforward as it talks about how we, as a

society, can do more to crack down on the offending party instead of the gun. The

article talks about how the nation’s gun-toting culture can explain a rise in gun violence.

If we change the culture, gun violence will decrease tenfold.

The third article was titled Counterpart: Gun Control Saves Lives.

This title, like the last, was pretty self-explanatory. The article explains how gun

violence will halt if we put legislation on gun rights.

FYS 100 Anti-Gun Control Josh Hughes 2/13/14

What underlying issues are being debated in the readings?

The big issue of whether the U.S. should make an adjustment to the second

amendment through legislation.

According to supporters of stricter gun control, what are some possible

advantages in favor of supporting the issue?

According to Counterpoint: Gun control Saves Lives, We can lower the gun violence rate

if we follow models set forth by other countries.

According to those in opposition, what are some possible disadvantages to

stricter gun control laws?

The opposition says that people won’t be able to defend themselves with a tighter grip

on gun laws. They blame western culture’s portrayal of gun owners in movies and

media.

What fallacies of reasoning emerge from the debate?

The two sides really react to the opposition with an extreme viewpoint.

What alternative policy/programs have been proposed or might be developed?

Bigger criminal background checks and stipulations on how much ammunition you can

buy. Also, a ban on assault weapons.

What implications does the debate have for families in society?

FYS 100 Anti-Gun Control Josh Hughes 2/13/14

In the articles, the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings. This debate would greatly

affect the families of the victims.

Now, it is time for my opinion. I’ve looked at both sides of the argument, and

I’ve educated myself on what is right. There should be no restrictions on guns or

ammunition. I also have the facts to back my argument up as well.

According to NBC Chief Justice News Correspondent Pete Williams, murders

committed with a gun dropped 39 percent to 11,101 in 2011, from a high of 18,253 in

1993, according to the report. Other crimes committed with guns were down even

more sharply — from 1.53 million in 1993 to 467,300 in 2011, a drop of 70 percent,

according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Around 70 percent of murders were

committed with a firearm, and of those, the vast majority involved a handgun --

fluctuating between 70-80 percent.

A bit of a history lesson for those doubters out there is that Adolf Hitler ordered

a seizing of all guns for every citizen in his Germany. The only ones who were allowed

to have guns were those in charge of running his sick and twisted regime. I think we all

know how that event turned out for the Jews in World War II.

Finally, there is evidence that the media and our own government is so far out of

the statistical loop on gun stats. Vice President Joe Biden told the American people to

buy a handgun instead of an assault weapon. Counterpart: Gun Control Saves Lives

says that “you don’t need an ak47 in order to kill a deer”, and I agree. However, you

don’t need an ak47 to kill a human, either.

FYS 100 Anti-Gun Control Josh Hughes 2/13/14

WORKS CITED APA

Halbrook, S. P. (2012). WHY CAN'T WE BE LIKE FRANCE? HOW THE RIGHT TO

BEAR ARMS GOT LEFT OUT OF THE DECLARATION OF RIGHTS AND HOW GUN

REGISTRATION WAS DECREED JUST IN TIME FOR THE NAZI OCCUPATION.

Fordham Urban Law Journal, 39(5), 1637-1694.

Adams, C. (2013). Grandparents, Guns, and Guardianship: Incapacity and the

Right to Bear Arms. Florida Bar Journal, 87(10), 48-51.

Pete Williams. Gun violence in us has fallen dramatically over past 20 years,

justice dept. report finds. Retrieved from

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/07/18108298-gun-violence-in-us-

has-fallen-dramatically-over-past-20-years-justice-dept-report-finds?lite