america is there something wrong

[Šãřäħ]

something is really wrong with america







in light of the amish killings, i think america should consider that they should do what Britain did and ban all guns. we banned all guns after the dunblane massacre in Tayside and there HAS NOT BEEN ONE SHOOTING AT A SCHOOL ON THE ISLE OF BRITAIN SINCE THE HANDGUN BAN WAS INTRODUCED WHERE PEOPLE HAVE DIED!!!





THAT IS NOT A COINCEDENCE!!!



GUNS MUST BE BANNED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC

[Jodelle-Ferland]

guns should be banned everywhere in the world if you ask me

[AngelBabe]

guns should be banned everywhere in the world if you ask me

agree

[BoYkA]

omg you people are crazy, Aus have put a Banned on all guns.

[TheOCfan2]

South Africa has already done that about 2 years ago.. Doesn't work a bit.

[SkItZ]

South Africa has already done that about 2 years ago.. Doesn't work a bit.

same but people are still getting shot here no022

[Shawnzy]

I'm a big Gun Control advocate. In fact, here's the outline of an Oral Presentation I gave for a class last summer, in which I received a 92 on.



Gun Control

Shawn Hinojosa

July 5th, 2006





Topic: National Problem

Organization: Problem/Solution

Purpose: I would like my audience to send congressmen letters, emails, and phone calls in support of gun control.







INTRODUCTION



I. Attention Getter: On April 20th, 1999, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris walked into school with a carbine rifle, a 9mm semi-automatic machine gun, and two sawed-off shotguns, slaughtering twelve students and one teacher, before pulling the guns on themselves in the Columbine High School massacre.



II. Relevance: We, the citizens of the United States, continue to elect politicians into office who are supported, lobbied by, and funded by gun rights special interest groups; most notably, the National Rifle Association.



III. Credibility: Two years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the parents of Rachel Joy Scott, a victim at Columbine. The experience opened my eyes to the torment and tragedy that friends and families of the victims endured.



IV. Propositional Statement: The NRA continues to lobby effectively using grassroots techniques in order to oppose gun control legislature. Although the United States has attempted to make strides, albeit at a snails pace by adopting efforts such as the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, the country continues to dwindle without gun control. I propose that we unite, as law-abiding Americans, and call, write, and email our congressmen in support of gun control, utilizing the same grassroots techniques which have been quite effective for groups such as the NRA. If gun rights advocates can exert influence on politics, than so can we.







EVIDENCE

I. Politics have gotten in the way of protecting children from possessing handguns.



A. The Supreme Court has been incompetent when dealing with gun control laws.



1. In the United States vs. Lopez case of 1995, the Supreme Court concluded that the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 (ban possession of handguns within 1000 feet of any school) was unconstitutional.



2. The Supreme Court struck down portions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, which would have obligated state and local law enforcement to run background checks on potential handgun buyers.



3. President Bill Clinton signed the Assault Weapons Ban in 1999, supposedly in an effort to prevent gun violence. However, assault weapons equated to less than 1% of homicides in 1998. Nonetheless, the ban expired in 2004, and failed to be renewed.



B. Gun Control advocates lack the lobbying effort and financial resources necessary to change legislature.



1. The National Rifle Association and other gun rights groups have contributed ten times as much money to federal candidates and party committees than gun control advocates have. These contributions help elect politicians who, in turn, meet the needs of gun rights interest groups.



2. The NRA and Gun Owners of America spent nearly thirty million dollars on lobbying politicians for gun rights.



3. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence spent a little over two and a half million dollars.







Transition: Theres a distinct correlation between the surmounting gun rights legislature and its effect on children and homes.





I. Firearm violence continues to threaten every facet of our everyday lives.

A. The overwhelming amount of gun ownership in homes increases the risk of gun violence.



1. U.S. residents own 22 million firearms. (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics)



2. In 1999, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, there were only 154 justifiable homicides committed by private citizens with a firearm compared with a total of 8,259 firearm murders in the United States. (FBIs Uniform Crime Report)



B. Guns are easily accessed by children, which increases the risk of gun violence in schools.



1. 49 percent of American homes have guns. In 1999, a survey found that 4.9% of high school students reported having carried a gun at least once in the last 30 days. (U.S. Department of Education)



2. Over 3,500 students were expelled in 1998-99 for bringing guns to school. Of these, 43% were in elementary or junior high school. (U.S. Department of Education)



3. Gunfire killed 3,761 infants, children, and teenagers in 1998. (Childrens Defense Fund)



Transition: However, it would be naïve to believe that America is the only country facing tragedy and dealing with the debate of gun control legislature. Just four years before the Columbine tragedy, a former Boy Scout leader named Thomas Hamilton entered a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, armed with four high powered rifles. He slaughtered sixteen small children and a teacher. Soon after, the British government responded by banning all but .22 caliber firearms, and required citizens to obtain a certificate demonstrating the need for a weapon. Meanwhile, Clinton signed the Assault Weapons Ban into law, despite the fact that most homicides occur with handguns.



III. The solution that I propose consists of regulating handgun purchases in a similar manner the British government has utilized. The government should place a restriction on all but .22 caliber and smaller firearms, and force gun buyers to obtain a certificate



A. Harsher restrictions on firearms have been effective in Britain.



1. Britains gun ownership in homes equates to 409,000, while the United States residents own 22 million firearms. (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Britains Home Office)



2. The United States commit over 8,000 murders by firearm per year. The amount of deaths by gunfire in Britain per year? 80. (FBI Crime Report, Home Office)



B. Harsher restrictions on firearms have been effective locally, in Austin.



1. Violent crime has declined by 5.4% in 2005. Almost 900 guns, including two machine guns, were taken off Austin streets. (Austin Police Department)



2. Austin is rated the third safest city in the nation due to its low violent crime rate, ranking only behind San Jose, California and Honolulu, Hawaii. (FBI)







CONCLUSION

I. Problem Summary: A question we have to ask ourselves is this: why has Britain taken such great strides in gun control following a tragedy, yet we, as Americans, continue to elect politicians into office who are supported and funded by the National Rifle Association?



II. Solution Summary: Despite the proven effectiveness of Britains gun control laws, why do we continue to let the NRA dictate our legislature?



III. Memorable Closing: If you support my solution, please contact your representative by letter, email, or phone. If we unite and support gun control for the safety of all Americans, perhaps we can finally make a difference.

[fool]

well done on the Presentation, very nicly said.

[Shawnzy]

I'm no public speaker. I'm shy, and quiet, and reserved; it was very difficult translating that outline into a more elaborate presentation. I'm glad that the rest of my class was pretty clueless and had close to no preparation whatsoever. I think I shined only because of that.

[ozzyguy]

I'm no public speaker. I'm shy, and quiet, and reserved; it was very difficult translating that outline into a more elaborate presentation. I'm glad that the rest of my class was pretty clueless and had close to no preparation whatsoever. I think I shined only because of that.

doe'snt matter mate, you have put your point across, you stould out from the crowd, thats a well done from me, takes guts todo these things, keep up the good work.