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Duncan Hutchings
English 1010-082
Instructor: I. Peterson
March 26, 2013
Safety or Protection: A Compelling Debate
Introduction
Day-in and Day-out we have several ideologies that are demanding further exploration on
the part of Legislation. These opinions that are presented to us are not new, but the advocating
of these ideas surely has the ability to re-shape the nature of our society making them the “hottopics” of Press and Debate. One idea in particular rates high on the emotional level of those
involved both directly and indirectly; everyone seems to have an opinion on what actions need to
be taken in its regards. This is the suggestion for intensifying gun control and possibly amending
the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution making the purchase, carry, and use of
guns extremely more supervised and intense than ever. The opposing arguments for gun control
are compelling and driven by conviction and strengthened by emotion, whether it’s someone
advocating it because either they or someone they know has been the victim of gun violence or
you combat that with the increasing need and use for firearms as a line of defense against those
who may be prone to acts of violence. This topic has greatly sparked my interest because my
family has a long history of hunting for sport, and I have fond memories of shooting ranges as
well as the vivid recollection of getting my first gun. This, again, is a topic that everyone can
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have an opinion on because the decision on gun control may add pressure to those that are
willing to fight for protection or advocate the safety of our communities.
Canada, Geoffrey. The Effect of Guns on Children. 20 February 2013. 01 April 2013.
Summary: This article was created to help people see that the lack of strength in gun control is
having deadly affects on young children. It was clearly written with gripping emotion as he
referenced the tragedy of Newton, Connecticut and explained that he himself has been directly
affected by gun violence against children. The article is very one-sided, but he writes as to
deconstruct the arguments of those that might oppose him. He mentions James Madison and the
Founding Fathers and how he can’t believe that the Second Amendment was written with any
tolerance of violence to those who are innocent. He also compares the process of buying and
owning a gun is easier than doing so with a vehicle.
Rhetorical Analysis: This column was written with a lot of personal emotion and can’t help but
is accepted by readers. The Pathos of this article is what sticks out the most, reason being that
the writer talks about how he personally knows those and has experienced the heartbreak of gun
violence against little children. I think the Kairos of this article is most timely and was written
by the author in the wake of the tragedy of Newton, Connecticut, thus, giving him prime
audience and quite possibly more eager ears than had he written this a week or two weeks ago.
The Ethos also stood out in this article because it combines wonderfully with the Pathos of the
column. You can tell that Geoffrey Canada, who is the President and Chief Executive of the
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Harlem Children’s Zone, has a tender background with children and the ethics of any violence
against children is unacceptable in every form, an ethical appeal I think most of his readers
would agree to. The Logos of the piece, although not as captivating as the Pathos and Ethos, still
is able to speak volumes for itself. Bringing up the logics of strengthening gun control and
making it more difficult for consumers to buy guns would decrease the violence against little
ones it the argument of all those beckoning for stronger gun control.
Assessment: I will use this article as proof of how demanding the two sides of gun control are.
Knowing how strong the opinions are on both sides having an article like this only shows how
emotional and passionate each conflicting side is about their argument. This will help my paper
by solidifying the points and arguments of those for more intense gun control.
Froman, Sandy. "2nd Amendment: The right protecting all the others." 26 04 2007 .
WNDocumentary. Article. 26 03 2013.
Summary: Froman’s article is the convincing argument to the source before. She vividly
explains the reason that the Founding Fathers created the Second Amendment in the first place
when drafting the Constitution. Froman addresses three issues that give the foundation as to the
reasoning for the writing Second Amendment and writes them from least to greatest importance.
She starts with the reason of giving Citizens the Right to defend themselves against criminal
activity, second most important reason was national security and the single most important
reason for the draft of the Second Amendment was for protection against our own government.
She uses these three reasons to better define the meaning of a Civil Right which is what the
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Constitution was written for do define the individual Rights of each individual in the United
States.
Rhetorical Analysis: The author creates captivating article by standing strong in defendant the
individual Rights of the Citizens of the United States. This column is very interesting because
the author, a former President of the NRA, uses more Logos in her article to defend the Second
Amendment than any other form of rhetoric as a defense against the debate of gun control. It is
also worthy to note the Pathos of the beginning of the article where the reader addresses the
tragedy of the Virginia Tech. University shooting, she acknowledges that although the shooting
is devastating we must remember why the Second Amendment was so important in the first
place.
Assessment: This article will be used to develop my greatest argument for my paper. In the
wake of all the arguing about who is right and who is wrong when it comes to gun control this
article is crucial in solidifying in everyone’s minds how important it is to remember our Civil
Rights and our Founding Fathers also went to great lengths and tragedies to ensure our freedoms.
Madhani, Aamer. "Gun control poll shows mixed results." 26 December 2012. USA Today. 01
April 2013.
Summary: This article gives substantial statistics on how gun control is viewed in America right
now. Madhani gives several gun control statistics and how they have changed recently since the
tragedy in Newton, Connecticut. Madhani uses these statistics to show that most of the opinions
regarding gun control haven’t changed much and that the argument isn’t so much on gun control
as it is a ban on specific types of guns that is the real debate.
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Rhetorical Analysis: Madhani uses a different tactic than most columnists in the research that I
have done. They use the numbers, the actual statistics to show that the arguments and debates
surrounding gun control are not what the general masses think they are. The Logos of this article
is overpowering and really sheds a more detailed light on the issue at hand. Most people when
discussing gun control are very quick to turn to Pathos and Ethos on a subject such as this and
many people ignore the Logos and let the numbers speak for themselves.
Assessment: I will be using this article as the statistical background and foundation of my paper.
The numbers and percentages are a vital part in a heated debate and having information such as
this will create a more valid point and also more focused point on what the real issues at hand
are. This information will help validate the thesis of the paper and also be used as the hard
information from which I draw my conclusion.
O'Neil, Michael. "Gun Control Debate: Are Universal Background Checks Dividing the Pro-Gun
Community? ." 10 April 2013. Policymic. Opinion. 2013 April 2013.
Summary: The author of this article focuses on the politics of UBC’s (Universal Background
Checks) and how the Democratic Party is using these politics during their fight for stricter gun
control. This article was drafted upon the remarks from former Republican congressman, and
NRA School Security Task Force leader, Asa Hutchinson appeared on Wolf Blitzer's, The
Situation Room, who said that he supports the UBC legislation that caused a huge uproar in the
NRA community.
Rhetorical Analysis: The Writer of this article Michael O’Neil runs a website that discusses
current policies of the day and uses the medium of Interviews with prominent people who are in
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the middle of the debates of the day. He uses a very structured flow of Ethos and Logos
throughout the column that is designed to pull the reader into the debate. The Ethos of the article
really overpowers this article because they focus on the Ethos of the authority figure ho is being
interviewed.
Assessment: This article is set up and will be used in my paper to show the viewpoints of those
who are most involved in this debate. This article is focused around a debate that many people
who oppose more harsh gun laws agree with, and I believe that this interview is best used to
validate those opinions and show that even though there are those who are opposed to the gun
control debate, many would agree that UBC’s would have a significant effect on gun violence.
Piatt, Richard. "Gun debate sparks several bills in Utah Legislature." 20th February 2013 . KSL.
News Article. 31 March 2013.
Summary: The author of this article speaks to specific bills that are being thrown around gun
control Legislation. He references HB76, HB114 and HB268 and what each bill contains as far
as the rights of the individual if the bill is passed. He focuses on the pros and con’s of the
collective ideas of the bills and proposes that some of the bills are counterproductive that that is
what they are designed for.
Rhetorical Analysis: Richard Piatt is a local news reporter that is Political Specialist that has
more that 20 years of reporting experience. Piatt uses mostly Ethos and Logos to solidify his
points but strongly focuses on Logos, and uses the flow of Ethos into Logos to draw you into the
debate and then use the logic to show you how some of the bills that are being drafted are
counterproductive once dissected by the reader.
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Assessment: I wanted to use this News story because Richard Piatt is a local news reporter in the
state of Utah and I wanted to incorporate this into my paper to display some local opinions and
news stories on the matter. I will use this to appeal to the Pathos and Logos of those that will be
reading my paper assuming that most of the readers of my paper are from the same State as Piatt.
Winkler, Adam. Room for Debate. 2013 January 06. Article. 01 April 2013.
Summary: The writer of this article talks about the heightened emotions that are surrounding
the debate of gun control. He says that in order to get a handle on gun control emotions
surrounding the debate need to be dialed down. He uses examples from other Supreme Court
rulings and other debates that resonate similar emotions. The examples of the war on drugs and
life and liberty are a couple examples that the writer discusses in this article.
Rhetorical Analysis: Adam Winkler, who is a Professor of Law at UCLA, addresses the Pathos
or the current state of society in a compelling debate on how we need to regulate gun control. By
addressing the Pathos he forces the reader to open themselves up and become vulnerable to the
following Logos and Ethos that surrounds the law of the debate. The flow if the article is smooth
in its transitions making it easy to follow for the reader.
Assessment: This particular article I found interesting because it was one that focused most
heavily on the emotion of the law surrounding the debate of gun control. I will use this article as
a solidifying fact that the argument is not all about the emotional aspect as is made out by most
of the media. I will use it as part of my conclusion that if Legislation is to accomplish any
ground in the fiery gun control debate, emotions need to be dialed back and let the law speak for
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itself. This article will be influential because of the credentials of the author and give ear to
those who might not be able to think past their own emotions on both sides of the argument both
directly and indirectly affected.