Macias 1 Stephanie Macias Kate Flom WRD 104- Composition & Rhetoric II 28 January 2013 A Controversial Debate Never

Forgotten Dating back to 1764, older than America itself, the first recorded school shooting took place when four Lenape warriors shot a teacher in front of his students in Pennsylvania (csmonitor.com). The most recent school shooting, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, has not only reminded our nation of the dangers of gun violence but also demonstrated something must be done in order to prevent further tragedies. Gun violence does not only facilitate school shootings but other public shootings as well. Gun violence has been among us and so continues to be a controversial debate since guns were introduced. For that reason, society has turned towards the leader of our nation to reduce gun violence within our states. In their informative article, Obama to Put Everything Ive Got Into Gun Control, Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear inform their audience of President Obamas promise to reduce gun violence through enforcing legislation and mustering public support. The authors effectively convey the immense effect gun violence has had on our nation recently and how the President plans to better the situation despite opposition through appealing to their readers intellect and establishing credibility.

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As mentioned before, the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School has not only reminded us of the dangers of gun violence but has resurfaced the belief that something should be done to reduce gun violence. This can be seen when Baker and Shear explain, Surrounded by children who wrote him letters seeking curbs on guns, Mr. Obama committed himself to a high-profile and politically volatile campaign (Par. 3). The Connecticut tragedy had such an impact on our nation that the President was required to step in. Another instance where Baker and Shear put emphasis on the effects gun violence has had on our nation is when they describe the effects of the ceremony held in honor of those who died at the shooting, reflected a decisions by the White House to seize on public outrage to challenge the political power of the National Rifle association and other forces that have successfully fought new gun laws for decades (Par. 5). Here, Baker and Shear make it evident that the most recent public shooting has shaken our society and pushed us towards wanting stricter gun control. By including specific moments that highlight just how much the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting affected our nation, the authors provide background information as to why the gun control debate has resurfaced.

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In order to demonstrate how the President plans to enforce and in turn reduce gun violence, Baker and Shear include specifics of Obamas future agenda. Baker and Shear start off by discussing President Obamas promise to enforce stricter gun control immediately after the Sandy Hook tragedy. They go into detail about his plans, Mr. Obama vowed to rally public opinion to press a reluctant Congress to ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, expand background checks, and toughen gun-trafficking laws (Par. 2). By discussing how the President plans to go about reducing gun control, Baker and Shear are appealing to their readers intellect. Baker and Shear do not only claim the President will work to reduce gun violence but they provide their readers with specific steps as to how he will go about doing this. The authors continue to discuss ways in which supporters of stricter gun control will further regulations. For example, Baker and Shear explain how the White House has plans of raising support through speeches, lobbying interest groups, video testimonials, and petitions (Par. 6). They also point out President Obamas already proposed legislation and his future plans of legal action (Par. (9-10). By including more specific approaches to

Macias 4 stricter gun control, the authors are further appealing to their readers reasoning that President Obama and other supporters of gun control do in fact have many plans to enforce gun control. Not only do Baker and Shear provide their readers with the perspective of the supporters of gun regulations but they also address the oppositions argument. By doing so, they are appealing to their readers intellect in which the reader will reason that this article provides a non-bias report of the controversial debate that is of gun control. This is evident when they mention how the National Rifle Association called out President Obama, for opposing more armed guards in schools while his daughters had Secret Service protection. Adding to the N.R.A.s statement, Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation, the N.R.A. said in a statement. Only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected, and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy (Par. 8). Readers have now been exposed to some opposition out there and for that reason will consider this article as non-bias. Another time where Baker and Shear address both sides of the argument is when they include direct words from Republicans, such as Senator Marco Rubio, Representative Tim Huelskamp, Representative Dan Benishek, stating their strong opposition to stricter gun regulations (Par. 18-20). Including both sides of the argument appeals to the readers reasoning that the article provided an impartial report of the debate on gun control. Furthermore, Baker and Shear prove to have an effective report of the debate on gun control since they establish credibility. Throughout the article, they quote and reference President Obama and other prominent politicians. By having evidence to back up what they are reporting, their readers have more reassurance in believing what

Macias 5 they are reading. For example, they mention Vice President Biden will work alongside the President in writing proposals for gun regulations. This demonstrates that Baker and Shear have done their fair share of research since they have multiple sources of information. Another moment where they reference a politician is when they describe Representative Robert W. Goodlattes opinion on background checks, But in terms of background checks, in terms of keeping weapons out of the hands of criminals and people who have serious mental health difficulties, we want to do that, and we would take a close look at that (Par. 15). Gun violence has always been a problem but up until recently, it has become a major topic of discussion both in general and in our governing system. In their report, Obama to Put Everything Ive Got Into Gun Control, Baker and Shear effectively depict the dangers that gun violence has had on the United States recently and how President Obama plans to better the situation through appealing to their readers reasoning and establishing credibility. By successfully describing the debate on control and how the Presidents future agenda on the matter despite opposition, Baker and Shear are informing their readers with important information in hopes that they will stay updated on news concerning this issue.

Macias 6 Works Cited Baker, Peter. Shear, Michael D. Obama to Put Everything Ive Got Into Gun Control. NYTimes.com. New York Times, 16 January 2013. Web. 21 January 2013.