Gun Control – A Controversial Policy

[Audio] My name is Antonio Wright. My presentation is on Gun Control- A controversial policy. The following presentation will address my stance on gun control policy as a controversial topic and why I believe it is misguided and ineffective in its current state. I will be addressing this topic using the Toulmin Argument broken down over the next several slides..

[Audio] Gun control is a misguided and ineffective policy that does more harm than good. Banning guns in our country will not fix the problems we face as far as mass shooting and other gun violence. I will address the controversial topic of gun control and how getting rid of guns could cause a motivated shooter to become a motivated bomber or stabber. For this, I will be using the Toulmin Argument, and I will give examples of why maintaining our Second Amendment is the way we need to keep our country.

[Audio] The Toulmin Argument was initially designed by the philosopher Stephen E. Toulmin in 1958. This argument breaks down into six components: claim, grounds, warrant, qualifier, rebuttal, and backing. While the classical argument maintains the first three steps, the Toulmin Argument takes it further and examines alternative views..

[Audio] Gun control laws are ineffective and can be harmful to law-abiding citizens. Gun control is an overarching term used to refer to laws and restrictions to law-abiding citizens on their rights to buy, own, or use firearms. These can vary by local, state, and federal regulations. This can be dependent on where you live. So, when you hear the phrase from the 2nd Amendment, "the right to keep and bear arms," consider this with a caveat (nraila.org). 79% of male gun owners and 80% of female owners say they feel safer living in a home with a gun (Pew Research Center 2013).

[Audio] Gun control laws not only deter crime but empower criminals who obtain guns illegally. Gun control laws infringe and interfere with civil liberties, impeding our 2nd Amendment rights to bear arms and denying people the right to self-defense. This can eliminate the sense of safety. Criminals are not going to begin to obey any new law about gun control. As it is proven time and again, criminals do not obey the current laws. Gun control laws only affect law-abiding people who go through legal channels to obtain guns, while criminals still obtain firearms illegally or find other weapons of choice (nraila.org 2023)..

[Audio] In 1999, two young males broke into the home of Tony Martin. The robbers heard that Martin had many valuables in the home and hoped to steal them without any issues. However, Martin heard the commotion, and with a shotgun in hand, he shot and killed one of the suspects who entered his home. The other criminal and Mr. Martin were both arrested. The home invader received a 3-year sentence, and Mr. Martin was sentenced to life in prison for defending his home (listverse.com 2017).

[Audio] Many laws and policies have been enacted that restrict the sale and use of firearms, but there are still ways to obtain and use firearms in the U.S. legally. Americans value the traditions that come with the use of guns, such as hunting, sports shooting, and gun collection, and at the highest value, the fact that they have the right to keep and bear arms (Morral, 2023)..

[Audio] Gun control advocates may argue that gun control laws save lives and reduce violence. They may cite statistics that show a correlation between stricter gun laws and lower homicide rates in some countries or states. During the early and mid 20th century, public opinion solidly favored gun regulations, stating that majority of Americans favored some kind of action to regulate firearms (Tatalovich 2022)..

[Audio] However, correlation does not imply causation, and many other factors influence crime rates, such as culture, education, poverty, and policing. Moreover, gun control laws may have unintended consequences, such as creating a black market for firearms, increasing the risk of accidental shootings, or violating civil rights. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution does not prohibit reasonable gun control. But the total banning of guns is violating our Constitutional rights. An article by Aaron Bandler shows how Washington D.C.'s gun ban increased the city's homicide rate from 188 in 1976 to 364 in 1988 (Bandler 2016).

[Audio] In conclusion, gun control policies do not control gun violence or criminals. We must focus on training law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and others. Criminals will turn to other means of violence, so people should have the right to defend themselves with whichever form of self-defense they choose and can legally maintain or own to protect their homes. While gun control policies are often sought after for presidential drives, they are misleading and tend to have underlying hidden agendas that are geared toward removing rights for law-abiding people. We must be more aware of the policies and our rights. Thank you for reviewing my presentation against gun control laws and regulations..

References. Bandler, Aaron. “7 Facts On Gun Crime That Show Gun Control Doesn’t Work,” dailywire.com July 28, 2016. 7 Facts On Gun Crime That Show Gun Control Doesn’t Work | The Daily Wire Dunsmore, Sam. “10 Criminals Who Sued Their Victims,” listverse.com. September 1, 2017. https://listverse.com/2017/09/01/10-criminals-who-sued-their-victims/ Lund, Nelson. "The Second Amendment and the Inalienable Right to Self-Defense," heritage.org, Apr. 17, 2014 Morral, Andrew. “Gun Policy in America: An Overview,” Rand.org, January 10, 2023. https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/key-findings/gun-policy-in-america.html Pew Research Center, "Why Own a Gun? Protection Is Now Top Reason," pewresearch.org, May 9, 2013.