Gun control in America, a very hot topic in today’s society that has writers across the country trigger happy with ideas of who is to blame for Americas gun problem and what the best way is to attempt to solve it. In a recent New York Times opinion article entitled “End the Gun Epidemic in America” a very broad and relatively vague argument was made that in order to end the gun epidemic in America “certain kinds of weapons” and “certain kinds of ammunition” (Editorial Board) need to be outlawed for civilian use. Within this article the writer uses a strong pathos appeal as well as ethos arguments in an attempt to sway the reader to place the blame of recent mass shootings on gun manufacturers, and the politicians who do not fight for stronger
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This article was published on December 4th, 2015, merely two days after the San Bernardino, California massacre. The writer of this article appeals to the fresh emotional wound left by the news of yet another mass shooting on American soil in order to convey the message that politicians and the gun manufacturing industry are to blame for this massacre. This pathos form of an argument is effective because immediately after a gruesome mass shooting, as with any tragedy, the general populous is looking for answers and for someone to blame for the devastating and horrifying events. This article serves to provide the emotionally battered audience with a scapegoat to which they can place the …show more content…
“They point out that determined killers obtained weapons illegally in places like, France, England, and Norway that have strict gun laws. Yes, they did. But at least those countries are trying, The United States is not.” (Editorial Board). While the writer makes it sound like America has done nothing in the way of preventing gun violence he fails to mention that California, the site of the shooting in question, has some of the most restrictive gun laws of any state in America. A recent Washington Post ranks California as the state with the strictest gun laws in the country (Phillips). “While many states have backed away from efforts to restrict the rights of their gun owners, California is moving full steam ahead.” (Wood). Maybe the country as a whole has not done much to prevent gun violence but California as a state has and yet they still are the site of the most recent mass shooting. Although this argument that nothing has been done to prevent gun violence may seem accurate on the surface, upon deeper investigation and further research it falls
This article was published on December 4th, 2015, merely two days after the San Bernardino, California massacre. The writer of this article appeals to the fresh emotional wound left by the news of yet another mass shooting on American soil in order to convey the message that politicians and the gun manufacturing industry are to blame for this massacre. This pathos form of an argument is effective because immediately after a gruesome mass shooting, as with any tragedy, the general populous is looking for answers and for someone to blame for the devastating and horrifying events. This article serves to provide the emotionally battered audience with a scapegoat to which they can place the …show more content…
“They point out that determined killers obtained weapons illegally in places like, France, England, and Norway that have strict gun laws. Yes, they did. But at least those countries are trying, The United States is not.” (Editorial Board). While the writer makes it sound like America has done nothing in the way of preventing gun violence he fails to mention that California, the site of the shooting in question, has some of the most restrictive gun laws of any state in America. A recent Washington Post ranks California as the state with the strictest gun laws in the country (Phillips). “While many states have backed away from efforts to restrict the rights of their gun owners, California is moving full steam ahead.” (Wood). Maybe the country as a whole has not done much to prevent gun violence but California as a state has and yet they still are the site of the most recent mass shooting. Although this argument that nothing has been done to prevent gun violence may seem accurate on the surface, upon deeper investigation and further research it falls