Alberto Santana

Professor Shearer

ENGL 11000

Apr 19, 2023

Cover Letter

Some of the most meaningful insights I’ve gained throughout this phase are getting better at peer reviewing and also being more comfortable collaborating and letting others see my work. We did an activity where we came up with words that describe something and the way my team collaborated and everyone started building off each other’s ideas. I ended up getting most of these people when we had to peer review a section of work we completed and it just allowed for conversation to flow better and we were always able to help each other out in some ways. This phase has also helped me “Practice systematic application of citation conventions.” The citation projection presentation assignment was one of the most helpful to organize my sources. All the different styles were easy to understand because of how everyone presented and I like how I can always go into the student folders and see the presentation if I need a reminder on something. Another course learning outcome I achieved was locating research sources. Since we are writing a research paper I had to try and find good statistical data for my topic that was peer-reviewed, it led me to the CCNY library website where I found some of my sources. Looking through the database helped me find various studies which helped solidify my conclusion and evidence. This skill is very valuable because it can be used outside of class to help me research different topics and know that the sources I’m looking at are trustworthy. I tailored my rhetorical choices and language toward my reader by using a formal and persuasive tone. Although this is a research essay I wanted to solidify my position on the issue while providing data that couldn’t be refuted. I wanted to appeal to the reader’s emotions by showing the cruel truth with horrifying statistics that outline the problem; at the same time I am being very credible and trustworthy because of the studies I am providing, attaching real word current examples to show the reader the severity of the issue. 

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Gun Control

Gun control is often framed as a political issue, but the reality is that it’s a matter of life and death. How many more lives must be lost before we acknowledge that easy access to guns is a public health crisis? People are dying at higher rates each year from firearms and there is no reason why the leading cause of death among children should be by guns. The United States needs to implement stricter gun control regulations to reduce the number of lives taken and the violence within communities. We also need more thorough background checks and better ways to ensure safe storage and training for more careful use of the weapon. As a country, we have the highest rate of gun ownership and also the highest amount of gun deaths per year so the approach of simply supplying more guns for protection isn’t working. Although closing certain loopholes people use (gun shows or online purchases) to avoid background checks should be a top priority, there should also be a ban on certain weapon types that are just unrealistic for anyone except military personnel to own. We need to make people aware of how stricter gun control can better society and show them the necessary steps to do it.

There have been 12,509 deaths by firearm in 2023 as of April 18th. Over 500 of these deaths were teens and young children (Gun Violence Archive, 2023). With 165 shootings this should prompt support for certain gun policies, even if you are advocating for guns the fact that children are dying with the gun supply increasing should be a sign. A poll conducted in 2017 between gun owners and non-gun owners found surprising similarities in policies they collectively agree to be upheld (Barry, et al. 2017). When the policies had to do with better background checks, stricter gun dealer accountability, and higher training both parties voted highly. This shows we do want more safety when it comes to guns but the real problem lies in people’s greed to have a weapon, they are overcompensating in certain situations that just put many at risk for simply having the weapon. These intimidating military firearms like an AR-15, which was used in many school shootings, tear apart the flesh and destroy the body (Nick Kirkpatrick, 2023). These types of guns can’t even be used for hunting because of their destructive power so their only use isn’t just to subdue the victim but to completely demolish another human being. So along with these policies, we need to take into consideration the weapons available to the public. 

The United States has the highest amount of firearms owned by civilians while simultaneously having the highest amount of deaths compared to other developed countries. The relaxed gun laws make it more apparent why we seem like such an outlier when looking at these horrifying statistics. Before someone purchases a weapon by law they are required to have a background check if purchased from a gun dealer. Many problems lie within the wording of this law and it has let people find workarounds very easily especially with no real way to track the weapons or ammo. People would simply buy from private parties or gun shows because they don’t require a background check after the sale of any weapon. This makes it so criminals and even the mentally ill who should be kept away from these things always have a way to access them. Although this seems very hard to stop it isn’t the only way these people are acquiring guns. People will go through a background check when purchasing a weapon through a dealer but since this process is known to be underfunded, some things will just be missed and they will get through the system. When these checks come back inconclusive usually the FBI will take three extra days to review again but if after these three days, which is the maximum they can do, the person can just purchase the firearm with the incomplete background check because they have already waited long enough. An example of this happening would be in 2015 when Dylann Roof was allowed to buy a gun even though he had criminal charges against him. With that same gun, we went into a black church and killed 9 people in Charleston, South California. (Lopez, 2015). Creating a more thorough process can reduce these types of people making impulse purchases to do bad things.

Although we may think all of the deaths due to gun violence are murders or homicides, a major part of it is due to suicide; They cover 7,000 out of 12,000 deaths by gun. This just further supports the need for better provisions when selling weapons and extensively checking someone’s background. You can see if this person has any diagnosed mental disorders that could lead them to take their own life. In the case of Audrey Hale the person who murdered several children in Nashville Tennessee, had a cache of guns that she bought all hidden to do this. As mentioned before she was treated for an emotional disorder and was very suicidal. This person shouldn’t have even been allowed to buy a single firearm let alone a cache of weapons. The school shooting that occurred was not only a serial murder but a suicide mission to let out the rage held inside of this person while using such a destructive tool that she was allowed to buy as the outlet. Research shows that states with more restrictions concerning guns like licensing laws have lower rates of suicide. In this study there was a sample size of around 400,000 deaths by suicide and a little over half of them were by suicide. When you first look at this data you might think that simply taking away the possibility of suicide by firearm will just lead to them choosing other methods, but this study concluded that this did not correlate with death by other means (Ghianni, 2017). Stricter gun laws will inevitably lead to less gun ownership which will also discourage these people from going to and doing such a long process. With the improved background checks that should be implemented, it would discourage these people diagnosed with emotional distress because they know they would always be denied. 

Every year, we lose thousands of lives due to gun violence. It’s time to take a stand and demand action on gun control. We see tons of stories on social media advocating but at the same time see people still trying to debate against it. There have been constant interviews and the same points are always brought up that some people can’t bring themselves to understand because they want to feel like they have power. We cannot continue to let dangerous weapons fall into the wrong hands. We must acknowledge the evidence and work towards a safer society for all. Young children shouldn’t go to school and even consider the possibility that they might die. The number of school shootings this year alone has opened up much discourse politically but many want to stand their ground and keep their guns. The second amendment is something that might cause people to stray away from the conversation but this right is not absolute and amendments were meant to be changed over time. The current state we are in is not suitable for civilians and can cause irreparable damage. The public needs to be more educated about the benefits of these regulations because we can very easily take the necessary steps to implement them.

Works Cited

Colleen L. Barry, Daniel W. Webster, Elizabeth Stone, Cassandra K. Crifasi, Jon S. Vernick, Emma E. McGinty, “Public Support for Gun Violence Prevention Policies Among Gun Owners and Non–Gun Owners in 2017”, American Journal of Public Health 108, no. 7 (July 1, 2018): pp. 878-881.

Accessed 18 April 2023.

“Gun Violence Archive 2023.” Gun Violence Archive, 2023, https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/. Accessed 18 April 2023.

Marco Ghiani, Summer Sherburne Hawkins, Christopher F Baum, Associations Between Gun Laws and Suicides, American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 188, Issue 7, July 2019, Pages 1254–1261, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwz069

Accessed 18 April 2023.

Nick Kirkpatrick, Atthar Mirza. “The Blast Effect: How Bullets from an AR-15 Blow the Body Apart.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 27 Mar. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2023/ar-15-damage-to-human-body/. 

Accessed 18 April 2023.

Lopez, German. “How Gun Control Works in America, Compared with 4 Other Rich Countries.” Vox, Vox, 4 Dec. 2015, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/12/4/9850572/gun-control-us-japan-switzerland-uk-canada. 

Accessed 19 April 2023.

Crane, Emily, and Haley Brown. “More Guns Found in Transgender Nashville Shooter Audrey Hale’s Home: Cops.” New York Post, New York Post, 28 Mar. 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/03/28/nashville-shooter-audrey-hale-hid-cache-of-weapons-from-parents-had-emotional-disorder-cops/. 

Stewart, Jon. “Interview with Oklahoma State Sen. Nathan Dahm | The Problem with Jon Stewart.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCuIxIJBfCY. 

“ABC News on TikTok.” TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRTrk585/. 

Accessed 19 April 2023.