Gun Control Debate
Introduction
Over the last few years the United States has witnessed what appears to be an increase in gun violence and the number of mass shootings. The choice of gun control for this paper was primarily because of all the evidence available to support both sides. This debate has gone on for years; I clearly remember when I was in grade school and watched President Reagan’s assassination attempt. While I certainly have my opinion on this matter, there needed to be further research conducted for me to make certain, in my mind, that I was making the best choice for my beliefs. The debate will continue for years and years, if not forever, as our forefathers ensured this with the Second Amendment right. It was written intentionally vague to invoke said debate and make us apply it to the present day. We, the people, question everything as our First Amendment right allows, so it is only logical that our Second Amendment right be the ability to defend it all. Without this, without any of the Amendments, we would not be the United States of America.
Evaluating Sources
Source 1: Pro-Gun Control
Using the Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric (HCTSR), in my opinion, The Washington Post would score “Strong”. This is a tier one newspaper covering national political news and is the largest circulated paper in Washington, D.C. The newspaper has won 47 Pulitzer Prizes and is well known for their investigation into the Watergate Scandal in 1972. It is part of The Washington Post Company which includes a mix of education and media resources in print, online, and television. With regards to the author he is an award winning journalist with 19 years at The Washington Post. He meets all twelve characteristics of a trustworthy source. His most recent accomplishment was the “Being a Black Man” series published in 2006. His team won two Emmy Awards, the Casey Medal, and a Peabody Award for the follow-on video project.
Source 2: Anti-Gun Control
Using the...