The controversy of guns is a never ending battle in both the political and social world. Although gun violence has been on a dramatic decline since the 1990’s more specifically from 725 people per 100,000 falling victim to gun violence in 1993 to a relative low of 175 in 2013. With this information, the question arises as to why do we care so much about guns now? Although individual crimes involving guns have decreased, the rate of mass shootings occurring in the United States is sending shivers down the spines of all Americans. Not one individual feels secure in the land of the free. Charles M. Blow, an American Journalist, liberal commentator, and the current visual op-ed columnist for The New York Times is one of many individuals that have
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Blow skillfully entwines in credible statistics and reference books that gear his audience's awareness towards this regularly debated topic. Although he only uses three sources, he places them in a way throughout the piece that make them effective. Blow starts by citing Samuel Brier of the Urban Institutes article about where criminals obtain their guns. The statistical evidence found is potent in revealing to the audience that nearly half a million guns are stolen each year (p.12). Perhaps the most compelling and eye-opening evidence provided Blow derived from a book called “The Challenge of Crime” written in 2003 by the Harvard university press. The book shined a light on the fact that felons admittedly said the guns they used were obtained either by own theft (32%), acquired through a family or friend who stole it (14%), or from another source who stole the weapon (70%). These sources all help Blows argument by showing his audience he is voicing his concerns through tangible evidence versus …show more content…
Blow starts with a story about a police officer who was shot. The story is set up in a way we are able to visualize and understand a real-life example as to where he is basing his argument. The police officer was shot in the line of duty by an individual who admittedly stated “I follow Allah and I pledge allegiance to the Islamic state. That is the reason I did what I did” (p.3). He used this scenario not only to highlight the chilling influence of ISIS on individuals, but also due to the fact the gun used to conduct the crime was stolen in 2013. This arises emotions such as sadness and disappointment in the situation. Although this is Blows only appeal to pathos, the effectiveness in setting our emotions in the right place before reading the rest of his argument was spot
Blow skillfully entwines in credible statistics and reference books that gear his audience's awareness towards this regularly debated topic. Although he only uses three sources, he places them in a way throughout the piece that make them effective. Blow starts by citing Samuel Brier of the Urban Institutes article about where criminals obtain their guns. The statistical evidence found is potent in revealing to the audience that nearly half a million guns are stolen each year (p.12). Perhaps the most compelling and eye-opening evidence provided Blow derived from a book called “The Challenge of Crime” written in 2003 by the Harvard university press. The book shined a light on the fact that felons admittedly said the guns they used were obtained either by own theft (32%), acquired through a family or friend who stole it (14%), or from another source who stole the weapon (70%). These sources all help Blows argument by showing his audience he is voicing his concerns through tangible evidence versus …show more content…
Blow starts with a story about a police officer who was shot. The story is set up in a way we are able to visualize and understand a real-life example as to where he is basing his argument. The police officer was shot in the line of duty by an individual who admittedly stated “I follow Allah and I pledge allegiance to the Islamic state. That is the reason I did what I did” (p.3). He used this scenario not only to highlight the chilling influence of ISIS on individuals, but also due to the fact the gun used to conduct the crime was stolen in 2013. This arises emotions such as sadness and disappointment in the situation. Although this is Blows only appeal to pathos, the effectiveness in setting our emotions in the right place before reading the rest of his argument was spot