Average 1
Joe Average
Mrs. Pavkovich
AP English Language
Instructions: Read over this sample
annotated bibliography. Compare to
the guidelines that I have provided.
Find as many errors as possible in
terms of formatting and content.
How can you make this better?
March 9th, 2015
Annotated Bibliography
Semeiks, Jonna G. "We the people confront Sandy Hook." Confrontation 113 (2013):
11+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.
This article talks about gun control and how congress should have passed more extreme
legislation after the tragedy of Sandy Hook. The author argues the topic from an emotional
standpoint and gives voice to the frustration of parents who have lost their children in the
tragedy. The author even mentions Obama’s dissatisfaction with the lack of action taken by
congress in the wake of the tragedy. She claims that America’s obsession with guns stems from a
gun-lovers tendency to equate gun ownership with patriotism and freedom: “Guns equal
freedom; gun ownership equals patriotism: thus goes the simple ‘logic,’ a kind of mantra that is a
substitute for thought.” This source is credible because Jonna Semeiks is a professor of English
at Long Island University; also, this article was published in a scholarly journal. I will use this
article to show that the way that gun owners associate freedom with gun ownership prevents
policy-makers from making crucial changes to gun legislation.
Ben Finholt. "Twenty years of mis-use: circuit courts, guns, and drugs." Journal of Gender, Race
and Justice Winter 2009: 389+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.
This article is about how certain legislation leads to over-sentencing when it comes to
convictions for guns and drugs. The article uses specific language of specific pieces of
legislation to make its points. It also uses case law to examine how the laws are applied. The
Average 2
cases examined show that gun laws are often applied unequally. This article is credible because it
was published in a peer-reviewed law journal. I will use this article to show how even with minor
changes to gun control laws, unequal application of the laws to real cases shows the need for
changes to be broader and more far-reaching.