Annotated Bibliography

Nathan Walters

English 1200

Mrs. Dempsey

7 April 2013

Annotated Bibliography

Agresti, James, and Reid1 Smith. "Gun Control Facts." Just Facts. N.p., 13 9 2010. Web. 7 Apr 2013. <http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp (Agresti, and Smith)

            This source contains a lot of information about guns in America. It has information on gun ownership, current laws and regulations, and facts about background checks.

            I will use this source for information about the laws in America pertaining to the ownership and use of guns. Also, I will use it for information about background checks in the United States.

Davis, Aaron. "Maryland Politics." The Washington Post. N.p., 34 4 2013. Web. 7 Apr 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-house-passes-strict-gun-control-measure-crafted-after-newtown-massacre/2013/04/03/303e1754-9c69-11e2-a941-a19bce7af755_story.html>. (Davis)

            This source has information about current legislation in both Maryland and New York. It has information about both proposed and accepted changes concerning gun control.

           

            I will use this source for its information about legislation that just passed in Maryland and New York concerning guns. Also, I will use this source for information at other states with proposed gun control laws.

Follman, Mark, Gavin Aronsen, and Pan Deanna. "A Guide to Mass Shootings in America." Mother Jones. N.p.. Web. 7 Apr 2013. <http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mass-shootings-map>. (Follman, Aronsen, and Deanna)

            In “A Guide to Mass Shootings in America,” Follman, Aronsen, and Pan layout statistics of mass shootings that have taken place in the last ten years. They discuss shooter profiles and the weapons used in those shootings.

            I will use this article for its information about shooter profiles and the types of weapons they use. I also use it for statistics on the shootings that have taken place.

Perez, Sam. "Adam Lanza Played Call of Duty, But Don't Blame His Mass Murder on Video Games." Policymic.com. N.p.. Web. 7 Apr 2013. <http://www.policymic.com/articles/21144/adam-lanza-played-call-of-duty-but-don-t-blame-his-mass-murder-on-video-games>. (Perez)

           

Perez’ article “Adam Lanza Played Call of Duty, But Don’t Blame His Mass Murder on video games,” is about the correlation between the violence seen in the media today and the increased number of mass murders in the United States.

I will use this article for the information about Adam Lanza and his obsession with Call of Duty. Also, I use it for the information about how he learned the military tactics used to go through Sandy Hook Elementary School in less than 5 minutes.

Kessler, Glenn. "Three Pinocchios for Obama on Background Checks." The Washington Post. N.p.. Web. 7 Apr 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/obamas-continued-use-of-the-claim-that-40-percent-of-gun-sales-lack-background-checks/2013/04/01/002e06ce-9b0f-11e2-a941-a19bce7af755_blog.html>. (Kessler, “Three Pinocchios…”)

            The “Three Pinocchios for Obama on Background Checks,” is about the fallacies in Obamas argument for background checks. Also, it points out which facts Obama has wrong about background checks and why they are wrong.

            I will use this source for its information about background checks and why they will not work. Also, I will use this to prove that Obama has his facts wrong about background checks and why.

Kessler, Glenn. "The NRA’s claim that Joe Biden’s gun advice is illegal." The Washington Post. N.p., 25 2 2013. Web. 7 Apr 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-nras-claim-that-joe-bidens-gun-advice-is-illegal/2013/02/25/854b8ca2-7df3-11e2-9a75-dab0201670da_blog.html>. (Kessler, “The NRA…”)

            This source has information about the best gun for self defense. It has information about the differences between assault rifles and shotguns and which would be better in a home invasion.

            I will use this source to disprove Biden’s claim that a shotgun is a better gun for self defense during a home invasion. This article proves that a shotgun is far inferior to an assault rifle in protecting yourself against an invader.

Argument 3 Rebuttal

In the last ten years, the people of the United States have had to endure the loss of family and friends due to the senseless killings at state senate buildings and public schools and universities. This country has left speechless after teenagers and adults were killed in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado and in Tucson, Arizona. However, after the killing in Newtown, Connecticut in which 20 elementary school aged children were killed, the people of the United States have realized the need for more strict regulation on gun control to prevent more mass shootings. More extensive gun control legislation such as a ban on assault rifles, a ban on high-capacity magazines, and more strict regulation on background checks will not only help reduce the frequency of this mass shootings but could eliminate them entirely.

            Several states have already taken the lead in the fight against gun violence and have passed legislation for stricter gun control. Connecticut, Colorado, New York, and Maryland have all passed legislation in the wake of the Newtown mass shooting. Connecticut passed legislation banning the sale of rifle magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Maryland also passed legislation requiring fingerprints of new gun buyers, a ban on the sale of assault rifles and high capacity ammunition clips. Since the legislation passed a couple months ago, there have no mass shootings. While it may still be too early to tell, these states and the new legislation is a significant step in the fight against gun violence in the United States.

            As more states continue to follow in Connecticut’s and Maryland’s footsteps, it will become harder and harder to obtain assault rifles and other weapons that are used to take life in mass shootings. As more states ban these weapons designed to take life, the people of the United States will see a decrease in mass shootings or them eliminated totally and will not have to console and cope with the loss of family and friends.

Argument 3

In the last seven years, there have been 25 mass shootings in which more than four people were shot and injured or killed. Mass shootings have tugged on the heartstrings of the citizens but until the mass shooting last year in Newtown, Connecticut, in which a shooter killed 20 elementary students, there was no call to action. However since that shooting in Newtown, Obama has called for action to be taken to help prevent further mass shootings such as banning assault rifles, high-capacity magazine clips, and more legislation requiring extensive background checks on the sale of firearms. In all of these shootings, excluding one, the shooting occurred in a public place by a lone shooter who obtained the gun legally. Requiring law abiding citizens to jump through more loops by requiring extensive background checks will not cause a reduction in mass shootings and will not address the main issue of gun sales on the black market.

            As debates on this issue, both parties are throwing out statistics to help strengthen their argument. Obama has repeatedly told the U.S. public that “Nearly 40% of all gun sales don’t require a background check under current law.” This quote, however, has many issues with it. This quote was taken from a report in 1997 and is based off data from 1994. In that same year, the Brady Act was signed into law requiring that background checks be conducted on individuals before purchasing a firearm. However, a more recent report shows reveals that in the recent years only between 15-20% of gun purchasers did not undergo a background check. Just like in the Newtown shooting, the firearms were purchased legally and a background check was conducted. Making it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to purchase firearms through more extensive background checks will not reduce mass shootings but just infringe on the 2^nd Amendment right of the citizens.

            Next, the installation of more legislation requiring more extensive background checks will not address the main issue of gun sales on the black market. It is illegal for a convicted felon, drug addict, or mentally unstable person to purchase or possess a firearm. However, it is still very easy for them to obtain firearms illegally from either the black market or through straw purchasers. A straw purchaser is a person with no criminal record who purchases a weapon on behalf of a convicted felon. Under current legislation, a straw purchaser can have a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, however, most straw purchasers are handled as a fraud case and spend less than one year in prison. Instead of legislation that would introduce more strict gun control laws, there needs to be an introduction of legislation with harder sentencing for straw purchasers and illegal gun distributors.

Argument 2 Rebuttal

Over the last several years, the violence of video games and movies has increased and become more realistic. As video games become more realistic, it is as imperative as ever to pass laws that will help regulate the sale and use of guns to protect teenagers and mentally ill people from possessing weapons. By regulating more closely who buys firearms will allow the government to keep firearms out of the hands of mentally unstable people who could do a lot of harm. Banning assault rifles and high capacity clips will help reduce the number of assault rifles in circulation in the public, but stricter legislation on background checks will keep criminals from owning and using these firearms permanently.

            The shooting in Newtown would not have been possible had there been a ban on assault rifles and high capacity magazines. Had there been a ban on high capacity magazines, Adam Lanza could not have fired more than 150 rounds in under 5 minutes and 27 lives could have been saved. Also, Adam was using a Bushmaster assault rifle with a very high rate of fire allowing him to cycle through magazines as he went from classroom to classroom. Banning assault rifles and high capacity magazines could have prevented the Newtown shooting entirely.

            Lastly, by requiring background checks, gun distributors will be able to determine if the purchaser is mentally stable and legally permitted to buy firearms. With so many guns being sold without background checks being run, there is no doubt that assault rifles and handguns are being sold to criminals and mentally unstable citizens. Losing innocent human life to mass shootings when something could have been done such as passing legislation to regulate firearms is a tragedy and needs to be addressed.

Argument 2

Over the last ten years, the U.S. Citizens have been exposed to more and more violence on a daily basis. People have been bombarded with violence in music, movies, videogames, the news, television shows, and in public life so much that they have become desensitized to it all. Starting at earlier ages, kids are playing video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty which are rated M for mature and are designed for people 17 or older. Next, the media reports daily on murders, rapes, and other acts of violence, especially mass shootings that occur throughout the world giving the perpetrators publicity, which is often what they wanted. Also, young children who might be watching television during the day should not be watching television stations that are playing violent movies. If government officials want to eliminate the number of deaths from mass shootings, the issue of violence in video games, music, and movies needs to be addressed. Instead of making more extensive legislation on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, more legislation needs to be made to regulate the violence that the public is exposed to on a daily basis.

            Recently, war games such as Call of Duty have gained incredible popularity among teenagers all over the world. They have become so popular because of the realistic gameplay and graphics. These games have become so realistic that some teenagers are having a hard time distinguishing between the video game and real life. In the case of the Newtown shooting, in which Adam Lanza killed 20 elementary students and six teachers, Call of Duty and other violent games played a direct role. Days after the shooting, information about Lanza’s obsession with the game revealed that not only could he not differentiate between the game and real life but also that he had learned many military tactics as well from the game. Lanza is reported to have fired more than 155 rounds in less than five minutes and knew when to reload so that he had a full clip as he moved from room to room in Sandy Hook Elementary School. Passing legislation to ban such violent video games such as Call of Duty would eliminate some of the violence from everyday life and would keep mentally unstable teenagers from learning military tactics that would enable them to carry out a shooting like Adam Lanza did.

            The movie industry is also to blame for desensitizing the public of the violence that is all around us. As movie making has become more and more specialized and the Computer Generated Imagery has become better, the violence in movies has increased drastically. In turn, the amount of violence allowed in a PG-13 movie has increased and so has that of an R-rated movie. Also, parents are letting younger children watch violent movies that are not appropriate for their age. Children as young as five and six years old are viewing PG-13 movies that are designed for teenagers. And young teenagers are viewing R-rated movies that are designed for adults. Parents need to take responsibility and not permit young children to watch movies that are inappropriate for them.