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Project Description: “The Legislative Labyrinth”
10th Grade Humanities October 2015
Overview:
The Legislative Labyrinth is a simulation exercise in which you play the role of a real-life
member of Congress in order to learn about how laws are made under the U.S. Constitution. Our
simulation takes place in the wake of the shootings at Umpqua Community College in Oregon,
Emanuel African Episcopal Church in Charleston, Marysville-Pilchuck High School, Seattle
Pacific University, Sandy Hook Elementary School, and movie theaters in Lafayette, Louisiana
and Aurora, Colorado, among others. The President of the United States has urged Congress to
pass a law requiring universal background checks for criminal and severe mental illness records
for all gun sales and reinstating and strengthening the ban on assault weapons that was in place
from 1994-2004.
Your job is to:
a) Learn about the various policy dimensions of the issue of gun control legislation;
b) Research your assigned congressperson, learning about his/her past voting record,
committee memberships, and the positions his/her political party takes on the issue;
c) Research your lawmaker’s constituency, including the demographic factors at play in
your legislative district or state and any special interest groups (lobbies) that might
influence your congressperson;
d) Using this research, engage in a simulated Congressional debate in an effort to
produce legislation addressing gun violence.
Project Goals:
a) Develop understanding of how a bill becomes a law;
b) Develop understanding of the system of checks and balances;
c) Be able to make connections to specific articles and sections of the Constitution;
d) Develop understanding of broader political process, including role of the media,
political parties, and special interest groups;
e) Develop research, presentation, writing, and debate skills;
f) Connect study of American history to current political events.
Project Schedule
Date
Thu
Oct. 15
Activity
Become familiar with the issue
of gun control and find out
which legislator you were
assigned.
Homework
1. Thu: Read overview articles
and list of terms (A, B)
2. Check teacher page for your
legislator assignment.
Learning
Outcomes
Introduction to key
issues in gun
control debate
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Date
Fri-Sun
Oct. 16-18
Activity
Presidential address and
Executive Press Conference:
Teachers simulate televised
debate between gun control and
gun rights activists while
students take notes on
proceedings
Homework
Learning
Outcomes
Over the weekend…
1. Read gun control pro and con
arguments in Resources for your
Research (D) and add to the
pro/con worksheet.
2. Start researching your
legislator and add notes
annotated bibliography (E)
Develop
understanding of
the role of
legislators,
Executive, the
media and lobbyists
in the lawmaking
process.; develop
detailed knowledge
of your lawmaker
and his/her
constituency
Begin online research. Find out
which legislator you were
assigned by checking in with
your teacher and/or on their
teacher page.
Monday
Oct 19
1. Continue research and
working on “Talking Points”
worksheet and bibliographic
journal.
2. Share “Talking Points” in
committees
1. Research legislator and add
notes annotated bibliography (E)
2. Add pro/con arguments about
gun control to pro/con
worksheet.
Ditto
Tuesday
Oct. 20
Craft position statement for your
legislator
1. Finish pro/con worksheet and
researching legislator.
2. Complete annotated
bibliography (E)
Ditto
Wednesday
Oct. 21
1. Polish position statement for
legislator
2. Meet in committees to edit
position, revise and upload to
Congressional Discussion Board.
1. Write 1-minute “position
statement” for legislator (F)
2. Prepare to present position
statement, practice delivering
speech.
Develop knowledge
of your lawmaker
and his/her stance
on each issue;
develop persuasive
argument.
Thursday
Oct. 22
1. Present position statements to
House or Senate; take notes on
other positions.
2. Committees meet along party
lines to begin to draft legislation.
Read position statements of
other Senate or House members;
take notes on positions to be
prepared for committee and
larger discussion
Practice
presentation skills;
develop
understanding of
legislative process.
Friday
Oct. 23
1. Committee finalize legislation
and present to Congress.
2. Congressional debate: Craft
and attempt to pass a bill in
House or Senate.
1. Reflection/Assessment of bill
process.
2. Cover letter and portfolio:
check with your teacher
Assess the activity,
develop new
appreciation for the
legislative process!
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Information, Resources, and Assignment Instructions
A. Overview of “gun control” and definitions from ebscohost.com
The term gun control as it is used in the United States refers to any action taken by the federal
government or by state or local governments to regulate, through legislation, the sale, purchase,
safety, and use of handguns and other types of firearms by individual citizens.
The political and social debate over the question of how much gun control is appropriate has
been an extremely polarized one for several decades. In recent years, the 1999 Columbine High
School massacre, the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech and other subsequent school shootings
have pushed the gun control debate further into the public eye. Among the special interest groups
that lobby the government on either side of the issue, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
and the National Rifle Association are the most renowned groups that hold influence over many
groups and organization.
Discussions of the topic tend to revolve around three major talking points: A sociological, an
ethical and a legal dimension. From the point of view of social science, the arguments concern
the efficacy of gun control laws in relation to reducing violent crime. The ethical point of view
pits the right to bear arms against the protection of citizens and prevention of crime. The legal
question is the interpretation of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on the issue of
whether or not the right to bear arms extends to private citizens or applies only to a so-called
"well-regulated militia." On a surface level, a "fourth" issue is found in the question of whether
more legislation is needed, or just better enforcement of current legislation.
Some of the restrictions that have been proposed or enacted into law include background checks
and waiting periods for individuals who want to purchase a firearm, regulation of secondary
market sales, mandatory child-safety locks, child-access prevention laws, concealment laws,
bans on small and lightweight guns, and a controversial 1994 ban on assault weapons.
Although not an entirely partisan issue, public opinion polls and voting histories indicate that
Democrats largely support gun control legislation, and Republicans are more divided
between gun control and gun rights advocates.
B. Important Concepts and Definitions Related to Gun Ownership Rights
Assault Weapons: As defined by federal legislation, this term refers to semi-automatic weapons
(guns that fire a round of bullets with each pull of the trigger). As defined by gun rights
advocates, only fully automatic weapons (guns that continue to shoot until the trigger is released)
should be considered assault weapons.
Background Checks: Investigations into the background of potential gun buyers, intended to
prevent the purchase of firearms by potentially dangerous criminals. Depending on legislation,
these can be "instant" or may require a waiting period.
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Concealment: Carrying a loaded weapon that is not visible.
Secondary Market Sales: Sales of guns by individuals who are not licensed firearms dealers;
such transactions are sometimes exempt from gun control regulations such as required
background checks (this is known as the "gun show loophole").
Special Interest Groups: Non-governmental organizations that advocate for or against changes
in public policy; also known as lobbying groups.
Well-Regulated Militia: A disputed term used in the Second Amendment: gun
control advocates interpret it to mean a disciplined, organized army under
government control; gun rights advocates interpret it to mean any person trained in the use
of firearms.
C. Resources for Your Research
Resources to learn about your legislator:
Find the homepage of your lawmaker through either www.senate.gov (for senators) or
www.house.gov (for members of the House of Representatives)
Resources to read for an overview of the issue:
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New York Times “topics” page with history of the gun control issue
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/gun_control/index.html
BBC statistics behind “routine” gun violence
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34424385
The Guardian - state by state gun laws as of 2013 (check your legislator’s late to find the
most updated regulations)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/jan/15/gun-laws-united-states
ABC-Clio has an “Issues” section on gun control in the United States
“Opposing Viewpoints in Context” (offered through the Seattle Public Library)
Resources to read for “pro” gun control:
 Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility - http://wagunresponsibility.org/
 The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence - http://csgv.org/
 The Violence Policy Center - http://www.vpc.org/
 The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - http://www.bradycampaign.org/
Resources to read for the right to bear arms or “anti” gun control:
 Washington gun rights - http://wagunrights.org/
 Firearms and Liberty - http://www.firearmsandliberty.com/
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National Rifle Association - http://home.nra.org/
Citizens’ Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms - http://www.ccrkba.org/
The Second Amendment Foundation - http://www.saf.org/
Each website you examine should contain links to other sites. You should carefully document
your research process as you move from site to site, in a meticulous…
D. Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is due with your assignment. The bibliography should list citations
for a minimum of 4 sources that you consulted during your research. The goal of this annotated
bibliography is to reassure your audience that your argument is based on research and that the
research is sound and reliable. You are required to start with the overview websites, then
move on to your assigned legislator’s website. Use the links below to explore additional sites.
Steps to an annotated bibliography:
1. Cite your sources in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name and
according to MLA style guidelines. Please see your Pocket Manuel of Style, pp. 135147 for all sorts of instructions and examples for every kind of source.
2. Describe the source (book? Gov’t website? Lobbyist for/against gun control?)
3. Briefly state the content and/or perspective presented (2-3 sentences).
4. Assess (1-2 sentences) the credibility of the source (what are the author’s credentials?
what sort of website or publication is it from – a peer reviewed journal hosted by a
university or government organization or some guy’s blog?)
Your entries will be evaluated for the format of your citations, the quality of your sources, and
the content of your annotations.
Note: for online research, the most reliable sources tend to have urls ending in .edu, .gov, and
.org - in that order (an accredited educational institution, an accredited governmental institution,
and a registered non-profit institution, respectively). This should be the first filter you put your
assessment of online sources through.
Note: Wikipedia entries should not be included in your formal bibliography because there is no
way to verify whether the entry is a reliable source of information. This does not mean you may
not consult Wikipedia to generate research ideas or, better yet, follow the trail of the links at the
end of an entry and evaluate those sources; it just means that Wikipedia by itself is no different
(from a research methodology perspective) than some guy’s blog.
E. Preparing the Position Statement
Prepare a polished, written statement from the perspective of your legislator explaining your
position on gun control legislation. You will deliver this orally and it should last one minute. Be
sure to clearly state your legislator’s position stance on each major “talking point” and reasons
for each position. Do your best to use the diction and tone of your legislator with respect to the
topic (e.g. a focus on “gun rights” over “gun control”).
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The Committee debate begins with each student presenting their one-minute speech (in
character) to a congressional committee explaining his or her position on the bill. Then, the
committee members debate their positions and propose changes and revisions to the bill, which
will then be presented to the legislature.
Angles to Consider as you Research Your Legislator and Prepare Your Speech
If you are a Senator:

What is your lawmaker’s position on each pro/con issue?
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What positions do the constituents of your state take on each issue? (Remember, your
job is to represent the entire state, not just that of your political party or your personal
opinion).
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To find this information out, check out your senator’s website and perhaps the
editorials of newspapers in your state.
If you are a Representative:

What is your lawmaker’s position on each pro/con issue?
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What positions do the constituents of your district take on each issue?
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Since you represent a particular district, it will be helpful to research the
demographics of your district and figure out the dominant industries (fishing, tourism,
etc.) and, hence, interests of your constituents.
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To find this information out, check out your representative’s website and perhaps the
editorials of newspapers in your district. You may also want to consider the activity
of interest groups (e.g. NRA) in your area.
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Gun Control Pro and Con Arguments
In favor of ban on assault weapons:
In favor of background checks:
Second Amendment points in favor of gun control:
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Against ban on assault weapons:
Against background checks:
Second amendment protects right to bear arms: