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Maria Clark
English 103
John Escobedo
February 3, 2016
Gun Control
The argument behind Gun Control is a delicate, yet important topic that is discussed
amongst nations all around the world. According to Merriem Webster, the full definition
of gun control is defined as the regulation of the selling, owning, and use of guns. In
other words, gun control refers to the laws and policies of the owning, usage, and
manufacturing of guns, in order to keep the safety of our nation and reduce harmful
effects of violence. In the NRA video presented in class, it is demonstrated that Wayne La
Pierre, executive vice president and CEO of the NRA, displays the usage of different
methods of rhetorical appeal in order to influence its viewers. The target viewers are
ranged from those who are gun owners to future gun owners. Wayne La Pierre wants his
targeted viewers to agree and analyze a very specific ideology that concerns gun control.
Gun control is a significant issue that needs to be thought out by all people around the
world.
The video presented in class stresses the importance of background checks not being
thorough enough in our country and that we need to pay more attention as to who we sell
our weapons to. The video uses time and place, influence of ideas, and the use of
psychology to persuade its viewers that gun control should be a topic that our nation
should focus more on verses other day-to-day problems. What is more important in the
world, Kim Kardashian getting a divorce or gun control policies? The world we live in
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today tends to focus more on superficial news and reality shows rather than important
issues. This is a huge display of how scared the nation is about significant world
problems by masquerading the important facts for celebrities, reality shows and banal
news. This needs to be changed drastically.
The video highlights the importance of gun control by first utilizing time and place to
persuade and get its viewers attention. The world today, is an era in which guns and
violence are common in our everyday lives. Thousands of people die from crime related
activities everyday. Examples of this violence are shown in the news, such as the San
Bernardino shooting, the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting, and Roseburg
Oregon’s community college mass shootings. (Deadliest U.S. Mass Shootings | 1984-
2015)These events truly open up our eyes. The media exposes a world of news that
