President Obama 's 2015 Executive Actions On Gun Control

Zelizer. Zelizer explains the recent tragic Parkland school shooting and leans off into liberal persuasion to Congress for stricter gun laws. Sometimes Congress debates the gun control laws in different countries and how effective they have been, and the outlook on homicides and mass shootings. “Occasionally, Congress debates legislative proposals to address the national gun problem. Some legislators point out how effective regulations have been in other countries as well as in some states” (Zelizer 1). Clinton was one of the first presidents to successfully place through regulations on guns. However, with one-third of the United States population owning guns, problems occurred. “Clinton sent a letter to hunters urging them to support the measure. As someone who had been hunting since he was twelve, Clinton wrote, ‘I know the difference between a firearm used for hunting and target shooting and a weapon designed to kill people’” (Zelizer 4). Nevertheless, the gun control movement finally passed through. “Signed into law in September 1994, the legislation made it illegal to manufacture, transfer or possess numerous categories of assault weapons and established a ceiling on high-capacity magazines” (Zelizer 5). Even today in 2018, the gun control movement continues to grow with rising violence in the United States. “The positive news in 2018 is that there has been growing pressure from the public for Congress to do something about guns. Polls show that a majority of the country supports renewed restrictions on certain kinds of assault weapons. There are also more states, such as Connecticut, with a proven track record showing that regulations can work” (Zelizer

Laws regulating the use of guns in America have been a hot topic for years. Media coverage of mass shootings, acts of terrorism in and outside of the United States, and stories of families being murdered in the night has resulted in a desensitized, or perhaps, overly sensitized nation. People are scared and have centered their idea of safety on one of two main approaches: creating stricter gun laws so less crime occurs, or taking away gun restrictions so everyone can protect themselves against crime. Policies stemming from these vantage points begin by the agenda set by pertinent support and opposition groups, reflecting these approaches.

Gun violence has been a massive issue through the modern age of humanity and has created a sense of division regarding the solution to this epidemic. In Adam Gopnik’s essay “Shootings”, Gopnik addresses the issue of gun violence and demands a change in American government policy to prevent the tragic killings of innocent lives. Gopnik harnesses the tool of emotion and passion to drive his essay. In Charles Cooke’s essay “Gun Control Dishonesty”, Cooke takes the polar opposite of Gopnik’s approach by utilizing factual evidence to prove the futility of gun control.

On June 17, 2016, an editor from the St. Louis Post Dispatch published an article, “Now is the time for common-sense gun control,” that briefly talks about how gun lobbyists are striking fear on the citizens and how gun control advocates need to keep pushing harder. The writer also reviews the Second Amendment and how gun culture affects today’s society.

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

The United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people. As a country the United States has approximately 270,000,000 guns. Both categories top the world. 22% of gun owners own two or more firearms. This gun wave had very humble beginnings from westward expansion to the revolutionary war and to the Second Amendment. This controversial amendment states: "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Next, I went to an article by Chuck Baldwin, an American Politician, who disagreed with gun control laws: “Here we go again. We have another mass shooting at yet another “gun free” zone. Not only was the location a “gun free zone, it was located inside the nation’s capital, which has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the entire country,” Stated Chuck Baldwin, (Baldwin para. 1).

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.

"The Fight over Guns in America." Junior Scholastic, vol. 118, no. 8, 08 Feb. 2016, p. 12. EBSCOhost,

Lynch, Rene. “Image of infant with a rifle goes viral, fueling gun debate.” Los Angeles Times.

Guns are one of the most controversial and debated-upon topics in America today. In the Constitution, Americans are given “the right to bear arms,” and many Americans are proud of and believe strongly in that right. Though, that right has been constantly misused. Homicides by gun are at a higher rate in the United States than any other country in the world, mass shootings are at an all time high (many of which have occurred in the past two years alone), and terrorism has been at an all-time high. So, naturally, it is a topic that needs to be discussed. In the articles Change Your Gun Laws, America (1), author Fareed Zakaria provides the readers with some harrowing statistics on guns and insight over how the U.S. laws on guns need to be managed.

It saddens me that even in this day and age racial terrorism still exists. One major event that reflects this is the Charleston, South Carolina, Church shooting that occurred last Tuesday June 17. On this day, 21-year-old Dylann Roof attended a bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and after about an hour he opened fire to the members who attended the study. Consequentially 10 people were shot and unfortunately 9 of them did not survive.

Slowly and steadily stealing into our lives like a shadowy hoard from the burning bowels of the earth, the fiery debate on gun control threatens to rend our country in two. Both sides often point deadly fingers at motives and character instead of arguments. Beliefs, founded and unfounded, range widely across the board. On one side of this treacherous issue, Mark Follman penned an article for Mother Jones titled “More Guns, More Mass Shootings – Coincidence?” in an attempt to destroy the pro-gun position. However, because he based upon a flawed worldview and some faulty logic, Follman comes to incorrect conclusions.

EVERITT, L., & PRATT, E. (2015). Does the U.S. Need Tougher Gun-Control Laws?. New York Times Upfront, 147(12), 22.

Michael Moore’s flawed 2002 expository documentary Bowling for Columbine is ineffective in its goals to open Americas eyes to its very serious gun violence problem. Michael Moore sets out to uncover why the United States can’t seem to end its devastating and reoccurring mass shootings, by using deception as its primary tool of persuasion and effect, Moore attempts to vilify pro-gun activists. The humorous documentary frequently highpoints controversial decisions and actions made by the then President of the National Rifle Association Charlton Heston. Bowling also raises issues such as the ease of buying pointless high powered assault weapons just about anywhere, and American media’s film first ask later attitude towards gun crimes and social and racial issues. Americans are left even more paranoid and hostile than ever before, something the documentary should have set out to end.