You are to write a 5-8 page, double-spaced paper in 12 pt., Times New Roman font with 1” marginsall around in response to the following prompt. Strive to be as clear and specific as possible, asyou are responsible for answering all elements of the question.In his 2013 State of the Union Address, President Obama evoked the horrific shootings inAurora, Colorado and Sandy Hook Elementary, as well as the assassination attempt on formercongresswoman Gabby Giffords, as reasons to put his new landmark gun legislation to a vote inCongress. His initiatives to reduce gun violence include requiring criminal background checks onall gun sales, including those by private sellers that are currently exempt; reinstating andstrengthening the ban on so-called “assault weapons”; limiting ammunition magazines to 10rounds; and banning the possession of armor-piercing bullets by anyone other than members ofmilitary and law enforcement, among many other significant measures. While many bills havesince been introduced in the U.S. legislature to curb gun violence, no major legislation has beenpassed. Based on your reading of Gunfight and your own investigation of the efficacy of guncontrol laws, do you favor or oppose such legislation? Why or why not? If so, what kind,specially? Explain your answer.To provide proper historical context for this debate, first compare and contrast the culturesof “gun grabbers” and “gun nuts” in terms of their respective histories, values, beliefs, andpractices in the United States. How has each culture mobilized to lobby Congress and the courtsto have their principles and aims realized in public policy? Make plain that you have indeed readGunfight in full when writing this section.Now, suppose for the moment that you are a member of the U.S. House of Representativestasked with voting for or against Obama’s proposed gun control legislation. Your personal stanceon the issue is clear and firm, but the majority of the constituents in your legislative district disagreewith your view. How does this create an ethical dilemma for you as a representative? How wouldyou take into account the views of your fellow political party members, the president, interest-group lobbyists, as well as those of your own constituents in making your final decision? Whatwould the likely outcome be of having to go against any or all of those individuals or groups inorder to make your decision?Give your paper an appropriate title and center it. With the exception of the first page, numbereach page at the top right.Your paper must draw upon at least two outside sources in addition to the Gunfight text and thelinks included above. Besides other relevant books on the topic of gun control/gun violence in theU.S. and around the world, and academic journal articles from the fields of political science,sociology, and history, examples of acceptable sources include:Newspapers Magazines and other PeriodicalsThe New York Times The Atlantic Monthly New York Review of BooksThe Washington Post The New Republic Claremont Review of BooksThe Los Angeles Times The New YorkerThe Boston Globe Mother JonesThe Wall Street Journal The National ReviewThe Economist The Weekly StandardPick a citation style (e.g., MLA or Chicago) and adhere to it consistently throughout your paper.When you quote, paraphrase, or summarize someone else’s work, you need to tell the reader thesource you are using. Two common methods are in-text citations/parenthetical citations andfootnotes/endnotes. Give the complete citation at the end of your paper in the bibliography orworks cited page.
