1. Brittany Cummings
Harold Blanco
FYS 100 // 207
Gun Debate Research
1.) What underlying issues are being debated in the readings?
The debate over firearms in America has many aspects of which individual
citizens, special interest groups, and the national and state governments disagree on.
Generally, there are two sides to the dispute: the gun control advocates and the gun
rights advocates. Gun control advocates vote and lobby for the strengthening of
legislation that regulates gun sales (the processing of buying guns, who can buy guns,
gun taxes, etc.). The other side, gun rights advocates, are against most of this
legislation and are passionate about personal firearm and hunting rights. Ironically, both
sides commonly use the US Constitution's Second Amendment's text in the promotion
of their stance, where their view's differ over the original meaning of the phrase "well
regulated militia". Gun rights advocates read this with the understanding that the right to
bear arms can extend to private citizens who have been properly trained in gun
handling, whereas gun control advocates argue that the “well regulated militia” is limited
to the US army, navy, etc. Another sense of irony found within this debate is the fact
thatboth sides are voting for personal security and a safer nation. The difference lies
within their personal belief on how that safety is best achieved: the gun rights advocates
want to be able to protect themselves by having personal firearms while the gun control
advocates want to protect themselves by decreasing the threat of gun violence.
2.) According to supporters of stricter gun control, what are some possible

2. advantages in favor of supporting the issue?
-gun control inevitably lowers the rate of gun violence
-limiting the availability and power of guns will reduce the number of gun related
homicides
-gun crime declined steadily in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, perhaps from the
assault weapons ban that was in effect during the time
-implementation of gun control measures would serve the greater public good
while respecting the rights of law abiding citizens to own and use guns
3.) According to those in opposition, what are some possible disadvantages to
stricter gun control laws?
-Statistics alone cannot prove that government regulation of firearms results in
less gun violence
-legislation would take away rights granted by the Constitution
4.) What fallacies of reasoning emerge from the debate?
-false causality: correlation must equal causation
5.) What alternative policy/programs have been proposed or might be developed?
-renewal of 1994 assault weapons ban/ rewriting of the ban’s loopholes
(manufacturers sneaking by with making assault weapons that do not
cosmetically look like assault weapons)
-A stringent system of gun registration for weapons and their owners: only
law-abiding citizens would be able to purchase them
-a rethinking of the criteria presently used to deem someone mentally unfit to
purchase a firearm

3. 6.) What implications does the debate have for families in society?
-the debate implies that a family should decide on how they interpret the Second
Amendment and what they believe to be appropriate toward gun ownership
Part 3: In class debate content
The Effectiveness of Legislation Controlling Gun Usage:
-States with most comprehensive gun control legislation experienced on average
1-6 fewer gun-related fatalities than those states with the most lax laws.
-Gun violence can be linked to other socioeconomical factors
-States with high African American populations and high unemployment
rates tend to have higher rates of gun violence.
-Rural areas have higher firearm deaths than metropolitan areas
Second Amendment: Shootout
-The District of Columbia’s mayor Adrian M. Fenty supports gun control and more
specifically, their ban on handguns. The mayor says told The Washington Post
that his community's law "has saved many lives." He says it "will continue to do
so if allowed to remain in force."
Debate: Gun Control in the United States
-”The real problem with guns is the potential damage that they can inflict”
-Michael BoylanPh.D
-Is there a need for assault weapons outside of war?

4. Works Cited
1. Kwon, I. G., &Baack, D. W. (2005). The Effectiveness of Legislation Controlling Gun
Usage. American Journal Of Economics & Sociology, 64(2), 533-547.
doi:10.1111/j.1536-7150.2005.00378.x
2. "Second Amendment: shootout." Current Events 107.12 (2007): 7. Primary Search.
Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
3. Boylan, Michael, et al. "Debate: Gun Control In The United States." Clinical

5. Orthopaedics& Related Research 471.12 (2013): 3934-3936. CINAHL. Web. 11 Feb.
2014.