Support Gun Control To People example essay topic

Name Teacher Class Date THE WIDOWS, THE WOUNDED AND ALL WHO BELIEVE "Americans believe in gun control, its about time for them to act as if they do". This statement from the article " The Widows and the Wounded" by Anna Quindlen of Newsweek, seemingly pleads to our emotions as well as our common sense to evoke stronger actions for gun control. Quindlen's usage of pathos and logos allows her argument to pull at the heartstrings of the reader, making it almost personal. Her sarcastic jabs at the ruthless ness of the NRA, proves dominant in the mind of the reader. She constantly reminds us not to wait for another unfortunate accident to react. "Polls have long shown that the majority of American people-even the majority of gun owners-support government efforts to make sure guns are less dangerous and less often in the hands of the violent, the deranged and the very young".

Quindlen writes this to allow the average, reasonable person to wonder, if there are so many people for gun control why does America have the highest rate of gun violence among the world's most prosperous nations. She further tells us that in 1997 an astonishing 86 percent of the gun deaths were children under the age of fifteen. Quindlen wants us to realize that if the screws in your engine are loose, tighten them; this is the same with gun control. She also emphasizes the fact that the NRA will argue that there are already enough laws in the books, and that the problem is with enforcement. These arguments would have more weight, but are crippled due to the fact that the organization works tirelessly to undercut the very agencies that enforce gun-control statutes. Quindlen wants to know how can you imply that you want a safer nation, yet do everything in your power to stop those who are trying.

"The National Rifle Association spends millions of dollars each year on well-connected lobbyists and campaign contributions-to those who support it and, perhaps more important, to the opponents of those who do not."The NRA isn't just spending all that money for nothing either", writes Quindlen. Once you have a good amount of money in politics, politicians are like sock puppets and will say and do anything you ask them to. "Years back the NRA targeted an Arkansas state legislator named David Pryor for sponsoring a bill making it illegal to leave a loaded rifle in an unattended unlocked car". Even though Pryor's measure can be considered idiotic, the NRA harassed him continually for decades. Almost as if they were sending out a warning signal to anyone who would oppose them. "Today one of there targets is a Michigan congressman named Bart Stupa k, who had the temerity to suggest that he might vote for childproof locks on guns".

The NRA believes that gun laws penalize the law-abiding and leave the criminals free to cause bloodshed. This argument would be valid if more than half of the gun deaths each year were not accidents or suicides. Stockton, Jonesboro, Columbine, all are familiar, all are household names. These are all places that didn't believe that a tragedy would label their town forever. "Sarah Brady worked for years to have Congress pass the most important piece of gun legislation in our lifetime, the Brady bill, after her husband was shot and disabled during the assassination attempt on his boss, Ronald Reagan."Carolyn McCarthy tried to build common-sense consensus on gun laws as a member of Congress after her husband was murdered and her son seriously injured by a gunman on the Long Island Rail Road". Her plea was to no avail after craven politics killed a gun measure earlier this year.

"It's time the great complacent majority, the 70 or 80 percent of us who think that guns should be available within reason but regulated within reason, too, begin to do our part", exclaims Quindlen. America: the land of the free and the home of the brave, so why does it seem as if someone has a gun to our head shutting us up? "Public policy ought not to be made one bullet wound at a time". What will it take for us to put our words to action? "Will it take one more school shooting to move the majority of Americans into a position more powerful than that of the NRA."Perhaps maybe it will take one more school shooting to move us from people who support gun control to people who vote it."In the beginning of this year a Gallup poll asked Americans about the three most important issues facing our country. Of course guns were scarcely mentioned.

But by the time the same question was asked in May, the halls of Columbine High had become a shooting gallery, and suddenly the laundry list of national ills had changed dramatically". In some small way that poll marked a moment when the American people began to wake up and smell the cordite. The old saying actions speak louder than words, is essentially the point Anna is trying to make in this article. Quindlen wants those who read this article to know that without action nothing can be accomplished and without stricter gun control laws nothing else will matter.