The Right To Bear Arms Analysis

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Persuasion for gun control: The Right To Bear Arms No matter what side people may fall on when it comes to the debate of gun control, they can agree that both sides of the issue have had some solid points in support of their cause. Chief Justice Burger’s “The Right To Bear Arms,” is an example of a clearly defined stance on the position supporting gun control. His comprehensive background, emotional power, and brilliant understanding of the rational argument further support this positon. Chief Justice Burger’s “The Right To Bear Arms,” is supported by his use of historical precedence because of his authority, knowledge of the past, and his ability to accurately contrast a bygone era and its importance within the present debate. First, his …show more content…

First, his emotional appeal is apparent when he opened with, “Our metropolitan centers, and some suburban communities of America, are setting new records for homicides by handguns. Many of our large centers have up to 10 times the murder rate of all of Western Europe. In 1988, there were 9000 handgun murders in America. Last year, Washington, D.C., alone had more than 400 homicides -- setting a new record for our capital.” The reason he had for this opening was to invite people into the discussion with an emotional claim supported by valid statistical facts. Secondly, he keeps his emotion in check and uses the argument its self to invoke the emotion he required. His only overt emotional cry so to speak was when he stated, “In the two centuries since then -- with two world wars and some lesser ones -- it has become clear, sadly, that we have no choice but to maintain a standing national army while still maintaining a "militia" by way of the National Guard, which can be swiftly integrated into the national defense forces. He used the word sadly in this sentence to depict how we still have a National Guard, but how easily it could be a part of our defense if required. His use of sadly refers to the emotional distress caused by the inescapable eventuality that …show more content…

First, his evident power of the logical debate while able to use facts is supported when he closed with the following: “If we are to stop this mindless homicidal carnage, is it unreasonable:1 to provide that, to acquire a firearm, an application be made reciting age, residence, employment and any prior criminal convictions? 2 to required that this application lie on the table for 10 days (absent a showing for urgent need) before the license would be issued? 3 that the transfer of a firearm be made essentially as with that of a motor vehicle? 4 to have a "ballistic fingerprint" of the firearm made by the manufacturer and filed with the license record so that, if a bullet is found in a victim's body, law enforcement might be helped in finding the culprit?” These were used to provide a logical argument in support of his position while also tying them to an emotional response with the use of “mindless homicidal carnage”. He ends his essay with “These are the kind of questions the American people must answer if we are to preserve the "domestic tranquility" promised in the Constitution.” His intention here is to remind his audience that things always change given enough time, and that people must always be on guard when in defense of the constitution and what its relevance is to a

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