Stricter Gun Laws and the Battle Against Gun Violence

Introduction

The publisher of this article is Ashley Welch. She is a CBS journalist that largely focuses on political topics, one being gun control and new legislation for them. This article was published on March 6, 2018. The publishing date relates to the topic as this was published a few months after many mass shootings and domestic violence cases occurred.

Exploring the Urgency for Change

The information provided in this article is current and very useful as it listed many current tragedies, from not just mass shootings but also criminal incidents, suicides, and other domestic incidents. For example, in the text, Welch states, “According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 36,200 deaths from firearms in the United States in 2015, with guns killing more people than motor vehicle crashes.” This shows how Welch uses relative statistics of deaths from firearms to get her point across that guns are very dangerous and, in the wrong hands, violence will occur.

Welch writes an informational article that focuses on how making stricter gun laws will help U.S. citizens from violence. Specifically advocating strict licensing requirements and increased law enforcement control of gun dealers. Welch has much experience in this category; as a qualified journalist, she has other pieces of work relating to gun control. This article is not biased as she does not give any opinion on the subject and rather focuses on factual evidence that builds up a strong understanding that there needs to be changes in gun laws to help prevent violence.

I chose this article because I am able to comprehend and analyze the article thoroughly. The structure of this article is separated into paragraphs and categories, which is very helpful. The organized paragraphs and categories help me keep a clear understanding of what I am reading. With my background information on this topic and the information gained from other articles, I was able to understand everything that was being discussed, and I was able to form certain questions and inferences on the topic.

Conclusion

I mainly chose this article because the statistics it provided and facts about the percentage of deaths shocked me and made me even more interested in the topic. This article presents useful and valuable evidence and information that will largely help me in my last body paragraph about mandating and making new laws on strict licensing requirements. The main inquiry question this article helps me answer is why strict gun laws, specifically license requirements, are more crucial now than ever. Overall, this article will greatly help me with my research paper because the accurate facts, evidence, and views from other political people will build up a strong argument.

References

1. “Guns, Gun Control, and Elections: The Politics and Policy of Firearms” by Harry L. Wilson
2. “The Second Amendment: A Biography” by Michael Waldman
3. “Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America” by Adam Winkler