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Sarah Peters Com 115- October 20th, 2008 Federal Gun Control Laws Topic: Federal Gun Control General Purpose: To Invite Specific Purpose: To invite the audience to discuss the pros and cons of federal gun control legislation in the U.S. and the consequences and benefits of such laws. Thesis Statement: I will summarize federal gun control laws and discuss the arguments used in support of these laws and against them, and then I will open the floor to discussion. Introduction I. (Attention Getter) “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This is the text of the second amendment to the United States Constitution, found on the Charters of Freedom website, last accessed November 10th, 2008, www.archives.gov. II. (Introduce Topic) The right to bear arms has been a hot topic in the United States for as long as we have been a country. III. (Audience Adaptation) Perhaps some of you are hunters, or own a gun for self defense, while others may worry about crime rates and deaths from handguns.
IV. (Establish Credibility) I recently became more interested in this topic when I had a discussion with my mom about federal gun control and decided to do some research for myself. V. (Preview) Today I would like to summarize some of the major federal gun control legislation and explore both sides of this debate, and then I will open the floor to discussion about this issue. Body I. Since the second Amendment was ratified in 1791, there have only been a handful of major federal decisions regarding the right to bear arms. A. As summarized in an article titled “U.S. Gun Laws: A History” found on the National Public Radio website, www.npr.org, last updated June 26th, 2008; the first major Supreme Court decision was in 1939, when it upheld a federal ban on sawed off shotguns.
- The court stated that it could not say that the second amendment guaranteed the right to keep and bear arms. B. The next major law was passed in 1968 when Congress passed the Gun Control Act calling for better control of interstate gun traffic. C. As the previously cited NPR article explains, Congress passed a law banning felons from possessing firearms in 1986. D. In 1993 the Brady Handgun Violence Act was passed, which set up a National Instant Criminal Background Check which gun dealers were to use before selling a firearm.
- Supreme Court Decisions as well as federal laws have been contradictory and in my opinion, the issue is not resolved. Transition: Now that I have done a brief summary of federal gun laws, I’d like to talk about some of the reasons gun control can be a good thing. II. Gun control advocates often argue that stricter federal laws are the only effective way to curb gun violence in the U.S. A. There are currently laws in place that restrict ownership by convicted felons and the mentally ill, but these can be easily bypassed.
- The tragedies at Columbine and Virginia Tech are often cited as examples of how people get around these laws. B. Some people go to the extreme of calling for a ban on all non-police firearms and/or requiring all guns to be federally registered.
- These people often state that the ambiguous text of the second amendment does not guarantee the right to bear arms for non- militia purposes.
- It is also relevant to note that the U.S. has the highest rate of gun death of any other industrial country. C. People often use the accidental gun deaths related to having a firearm in the home as an argument that gun possession is not worth the risk, especially if you have children. Transition: There are many arguments supporting gun control, but now I would like to look at some of the arguments against it.
III. You may have heard the phrase used by many gun rights activists, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” A. This is a basic way to express the sentiments that many people hold that each individual is responsible for their own actions. B. One of the most powerful arguments cited against federal regulations is that it only makes it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to own firearms while criminals continue to own them illegally.
- If this is true, it means that criminals would end up with guns while people trying to abide by the law would have a harder time accessing guns for self-defense. C. Another argument for gun rights is that people need to be able to defend themselves.
- Defense can mean against individuals threatening you, government tyranny, or invasions by foreign nations. a. In the political climate today, many would argue that the future is uncertain, and owning a gun can provide the kind of piece of mind that no matter what, we can defend ourselves. D. Of course, the second amendment can also be interpreted, and often has been, to imply that individual’s right to bear arms is guaranteed in the constitution.
- This is used by many gun rights activists as an argument in support of their position.
Work Cited Alito, Samuel. “District of Columbia v. Heller, Majority Opinion.” Supreme Court of the United States. 26 June, 2008. http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07- 290.pdf Altman, Alex. “The Future of Gun Control.” Time.com. 26 June, 2008. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1818325,00.html. “Restoring America’s Freedom” FDRS. 10 Nov., 2008. http://www.fdrs.org/quotes_on_gun_control.html “Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.” Charters of Freedom. 10 Nov.,
- http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html “U.S. Gun Laws: A History.” National Public Radio. 26 June, 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=
