Since the beginning of 2018 the United States has seen an increase in outcry both for and against gun control. One of the key contributors to the cesspool of argument is 18 year old Emma Gonzalez. While her goal of spreading awareness of gun violence is noble, her famous “We call B.S.” speech, which put her on the map of pro gun control, committed multiple fallacies. She fails her argument by using an appeal to emotions, appeal to authority, and ad hominem.
To begin to understand Emma Gonzalez’s speech, one should understand the context and her reasoning for speaking out for gun control. On February 14, a massacre occurred at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people were killed and more were wounded, making it
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For example, According to a transcript done by CNN, Emma states in her speech, “We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks.” For her argument to get across, she must make the point that she stands with the children of the United States. Instead of arguing against the legislation currently in place against guns, she apparently has to make the point that they are kids, even though her and a majority of the seniors at Douglas High School are legal adults. By stating that the ones standing against the NRA are kids, she triggers an unspoken thought which put vaguely tells the audience that killing children are bad so therefore Emma must be correct. She continues by stating, “The people in the government who were voted into power are lying to us. And us kids seem to be the only ones who notice and our parents to call BS.” She explains the claim by saying the conglomerates and politicians are oppressing the “kids” into silence without offering adequate proof. She uses her pathos statements to speak for themselves, which, as a result, offers the assumption that she did include this jump in logic on purpose. All in all, one of the major issues of her speech is how she uses pathos as a form of argument without offering full proof for her
Gun control is an extremely controversial issue in the United States, and the debates around this topic has started many decades ago. According to the article “Gun Rights vs. Gun control” by Brianna Gurciullo, these debates are fueled by the people who defend the gun rights and the people who advocate in favor of gun control. It has been difficult to prove that gun ownership is directly related to an increase in violence due to the fact that researches tend to disagree on the impact of gun ownership in the American society. These debates tend to be brought to the spotlight whenever there is a mass shooting in the United States, which according to Abbey Oldham, who is a reporter from the PBS News Hour, happens quite frequently. However, organizations, such as the National Rifle Association (NRA), defend that the laws for gun control violate the Second Amendment of the constitution, which states “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” stated Gurciullo. Due to the distinct interpretations of the constitution and the difficulty to agree on the best approach to tackle the issue, this controversy seem to be almost unsolvable.
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, hunt for food and engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control is complex. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution. In this climate of
The article was originally published in 2013, a year after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which was a mass shooting that killed 20 children and six adults. This tragedy leads to high concerns about what can possibly be done to prevent this from happening again. Although gun control debates have been occurring for centuries, in recent debates they have become even more heated due to the many incidents of gun violence. In Simon’s article, she brought more tension and views to help delegate what needs to be done to stop the violence in the country rather than leave it
Emma affirms the proximate reason for mass shootings is the NRA's impact over our chose authorities that is the reason nothing is done to control firearms and protect our youngsters at school. She additionally states that each government official that got crusade commitments from the NRA (and apparently, NRA individuals) ought to be embarrassed about their complicity in weapon related passing’s by lunatics. Emma, and some different youngsters who have become more than their 15 minutes of notoriety in the news media, have endeavored to slander the NRA by associating some exceptionally odd spots: They attest the NRA, which gives incredible preparing on weapon wellbeing and legal utilization of guns, is the proximate reason for the dangerous utilization of guns by non-NRA individuals. Emma alludes to the 2nd amendment, stating that the guns have changed since that amendment was written. She also alludes to the landmark case of Tinker v. Des Moines in which students fought for and won their right to freedom of expression at school--stating that Stoneman Douglas will similarly be a school remembered in history for changing laws. She also uses hasty to pump up the crowd at the end of the speech the repetition of “We call BS” which becomes the crowd’s rallying
The debate over gun control has been raging through the American political systems for years. On one side, there is the National Rifle Association (NRA) and 2nd Amendment-citing citizens who use their firearms for hunting and self-defense. On the other, there is Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) and followers of the Brady Campaign who want to ban guns on the basis that they are dangerous. Both sides have strong arguments, anchored in historical precedent and statistical analysis. Anti-gun control lobbyists’ arguments include the guarantee of the 2nd Amendment, the definition of “militia” as any adult male, self-defense, the relative uselessness of permits and regulations, and court cases in favor of firearm possession. Pro-gun control activists
Gun control has been a hot topic in this country for many years. Gun control advocates will use instances such as Sandy Hook to further their agenda in removing weapons out of law-abiding American hands. On the other end of the spectrum, the gun advocates claim that any form of gun restriction goes against their constitutional rights to bear arms. In 2013, Commentary Magazine printed and article written by Benjamin Domenech discussing how gun laws will not lower mass shootings in the United States. Domench has been writing politically motived articles for almost 20 years. He has an extensive knowledge of speech writing for various political offices, such as for George W Bush (Domenech, Ben). The experience needed to write effective speeches that will target a wide audience helps him out in the article.
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution entitles citizens the right to possess and bear arms; which has continually been an important issue for decades. Gun control is not just one concern, but rather many, within a common category. One may consider gun control a crime issue, while to others it may be a rights issue. Inside each and every issue, there are particular people who want more gun control legislation, and those who want less. Dorothy Samuels does a phenomenal job of portraying her stand on gun control through the use of ethos, logos, and pathos, in her article, “Wrong on Gun Rights”. Samuels utilizes the rhetorical strategies in order to persuade the audience into agreeing with her views.
After investing much effort into understanding the thought process of those who support gun control, a pro-gun-control op-ed was stumbled upon that seemed to embody all of the talking points and emotions of those on the opposing side. There it was summed up in a single picture and a short but succinct headline. It was a gut wrenching black and white photo of six handsome young men in crisp, dark suits and tearful eyes supporting the weight of a cumbersome coffin that no doubt held still precious cargo that will live on only in their hearts. Above it the caption read “This Is Why We Need Gun Control”. The issue of gun control continually elicits impassioned responses from both sides of the argument. The list of reasons gun control proponents supply include: More guns equal more suicide, More guns equal more homicide, Massacres and mass murders are
The past few years America has seen an undeniable rise in mass shootings and other acts of gun violence. With each act of violence that brings the nation into a state of fear for their safety, it leads people to ponder on the place the nation is currently at with gun control and the actions the government is taking to improve the unstable ground it currently stands on. Even with the public’s attention and consideration on devastating shootings, there has been a lengthy tug-of-war between those who actively promote more gun control laws and those who oppose them, with gun control activist repeatedly losing the battle. Those that understand the benefits the expansion of gun control would bring should join and take a stand, particularly for national
The article, “Famous Speeches: "We call BS," Emma Gonzalez's Speech to gun Advocates” is written in first point of view. On the other hand, “Issue Overview: Guns in America” is written in third person point of view. Comparing, you can see how “Issue Overview…” is written in third person point of view.
In her essay, “Get a Knife, Get a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns”, Molly Ivins discusses the highly debated topic of gun control. She argues that guns are an unnecessary evil to all of humanity and that permitting them to inexperienced and unregulated citizens only spoils the national security of the United States of America. Ivins quotes the Second Amendment as saying that guns were primarily intended to be used by a “well-regulated militia”. Thus, she believes that anyone who wants to own a gun should be subject to extensive training: “That is the least, the very least, that should be required of those who are permitted to have a gun” (385). Ivins goes on to say that guns are extremely dangerous and they should be banned, or at the very least strictly regulated (384-386). While Ivins reasonably discusses the issue of gun control in her op-ed, she does not adequately support her claims with substantial evidence or research about the negative impacts that guns have had on our society. She also seems unwilling to be open-minded about the opinions of the opposing side, calling them “gun-nuts” with a power hang-up (386). In conclusion, Ivins’ essay is not effective in urging readers who are pro-gun to change their views and she does not help reinforce the beliefs of people who oppose firearms.
In the United States, the media tends to only highlight violence that is occurring overseas when in reality gun violence has escalated to new heights in our own country. During recent years, gun-related homicides have plagued the United States, and many innocent citizens have been killed due to this accumulation of gun violence. Because gun control is a very controversial topic, writers who choose to address this emotional topic must use the appropriate tone when forming their arguments in order to better persuade their audience. Recently, Nicholas Kristof and President Obama
Former President Barack Obama performed a speech in response to a mass shooting that happened in a community college in Oregon. This speech included other gun related incidents which occurred during his time in office in 2015 regarding Umpqua Community College and Roseburg. After giving his condolences and love to those who felt loss in their hearts, Obama gave a powerful argument regarding gun control and how we, as Americans, should fight and strive for better gun laws. While Obama gave a moving speech, I could not help but feel it fell short in its argument while conducting a thorough critique. Obama appealed to his audience utilizing pathos and ethos with ease but fell short for those in the audience looking for logos or specific facts within his performance. I will be taking this opportunity to delve further into an analysis of this speech and both its heights and pitfalls.
When we hear the term gun control, we think of opposing sides of the topic arguing whether citizens should continue to have the right to bear arms or not, including the possible consequences of continuing the use of the second amendment. As we know, gun violence is one a the major political issues that has caused public corruption and still continue to this day. During Barack Obama’s eight year term of presidency, he announced his thoughts and plan for change on how to limit gun control violence. He discusses how gun control can affect the lives of citizens physical and mental health, along with overall lifestyle. Barack shares past tragedies of gun violence and how gun control has played a huge role into our society. Throughout this speech Barack Obama gives on gun control, he persuades the public by using ethos, pathos, and logos to highlight the important concepts for change of this amendment.
For many years, people have been pushing the American government to implement new laws that deal with gun control. Supporters of the argument claim that increased gun control will drastically reduce the crime rate in America. Nevertheless, a majority of gun control arguments are formed from strict control of data and emotional appeal. The mainstream media picks up these stories and broadcasts them to viewers without providing any context to them. While gun control activists assert that gun control is necessary, the American government should not ban guns because of the following reasons: potential vulnerability of innocent people being shot at by criminals and the inability for people to defend themselves against their own government.