Op- Ed Columnist Nicholas Kristof, in “Kristof: Lessons From the Virginia Shooting” (2015) asserts that American gun laws are “demented” and in need of a change to prevent more deaths. He supports his claim by mapping out the bloody path America is on now, stating facts about firearm death rates, comparing gun laws to toy and ladder laws, and finally giving the solution of more background checks and gun laws. Kristof’s main point is that in order for homicide rates to go down, the gun laws must be altered to make the process of acquiring a gun more difficult. He seems to be calling for a movement, addressing the people of America and the government to change gun laws, and make America a safer place.
Upon reading Nicholas Kristof’s article on the Virginia shooting, I found myself siding with the gun activists of the NRA, who would disapprove of his writing. His sound argument proves that homicide rates are awful in America, but I don’t believe that they are directly related to guns. We live in a society that craves violence, whether in the form of video games, movies, books or music. The American people find enjoyment in watching a film where teens kill each other off and video games were soldiers try to kill each other. The guns are not the issue, but rather it is the American psyche. I am not calling for a mass ban of violent games such as Modern Warfare and not calling for a censorship of music, but the pain and violence has to be toned down. The mass shootings occurring throughout America are simply the product of our society. Kristof’s points on guns are true, but it doesn't start with gun laws, but rather it starts with changing the way we think and feel towards hate and brutality.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/27/opinion/lessons-from-the-murders-of-tv-journalists-in-the-virginia-shooting.html?_r=1
Your precis is good, but I think the end of the first sentence needs to be worded a little differently to allow the paragraph to flow more smoothly. Your second sentence also needs a little help- I think you should be more specific when you say "the bloody path American is on now." How exactly does he show that? The end of the second sentence also should be altered a little bit. His solutions were a little more extensive than just background checks and more gun laws, so maybe be more specific. The last sentence also needs to be fixed a little bit- it should be more about the type of audience he's appealing to and how he appeals to them.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your personal response, I have to respectively disagree. I think that his ideas about gun control could potentially bring homicide rates down and essentially benefit everyone. Also, I think that gun laws go hand in hand with your ideas about changing the way we think and feel in regards to violence. If we regulate gun control, violence would go down and thus the amount of violence that Americans are exposed to would go down. I agree that violent entertainment like video games and movies could possibly be related to homicide rates, but even if those types of things get people riled up, if they don't have a gun, then they can't act on their violent feelings.
I agree with Shani!
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