Argument Outline: The Necessity of Reforming Gun Control Policies in the United States

A. Introduction

1. Attention Grabber: Over the past several years, gun violence has been on the rise in the United States, making headlines that send shivers all over the country.
2. Opener/Explanation: Traumatic events, including mass shootings and everyday gun-related incidents, prompt urgent questions about whether the current policies of gun control are effective or not.
3. Explanation: Communities grapple with the fallout from these events, revealing a sobering reality that measures that currently exist are not enough to combat gun violence.
4. Background: The Second Amendment versus the growing death toll from firearms is a problematic and immediate social issue that needs to be addressed.
5. Background: Existing gun control measures vary significantly from state to state, leading to confusion and inconsistency.
6. Background: The Gun Control Act of 1968 and various state regulations have attempted to address this issue but have failed to create a cohesive framework.
7. Background: States with more stringent laws tend to have lower gun death rates.
8. Thesis: Comprehensive gun control reform is not only critical to the health and safety of Americans, but it is as imperative as possible. This essay will analyze the current situations regarding gun violence, the policy situation, and reform possibilities that will prove the need for a paradigm shift in how gun control is done in the US.B .

B. Objection 1

1. Topic Sentence: Gun control reform opponents frequently claim that gun reform infringes on the Second Amendment right of law-abiding citizens.
2. Refute the Objection: Responsible gun owners, they say, should not be penalized for a few individuals.
3. Support (Quote): According to Bocher et al., “As courts consider whether and how to extend constitutional protection to these changed practices of public carry, it is crucial that they adhere to the portions of Justice Scalia’s Heller decision that recognize government’s “longstanding” interest in regulating weapons in public places” (139).
4. How Does the Quote Nullify the Objection?: The Second Amendment does not mean that one can own any firearm they choose to without regard to the repercussions of doing so.
5. Refute the Objection: Just like there are regulations for driving, reasonable limits on gun ownership to protect society need to be put in place.
6. Support (Quote): According to Ashworth and Claudia, “the control of firearms is aligned with the protection of the life of the people and their liberties” (114).
7. How Does the Quote Nullify the Objection?: It proves that adopting reasonable regulation of possessing guns does not result in a violation of the Second Amendment.
8. Concluding Sentence: Therefore, the implication that reform infringes on rights avoids the question of the need for community protection and reasonable use of firearms.

C. Objection 2

1. Topic Sentence: Another common argument against gun control reforms is that criminals will find ways to get firearms, whether laws are passed or not.
2. Refute the Objection: While some may argue this is true, effective laws can still reduce access to firearms.
3. Support (Quote): “States with universal background checks have lower gun homicide rates by 15% than those without” (Ashworth et al. 111).
4. How Does the Quote Nullify the Objection?: This demonstrates that regulations can lead to significant reductions in gun violence.
5. Refute the Objection: Stricter laws also establish societal norms around responsible gun ownership and are associated with lower gun death rates (Hurka and Knill 787-803).
6. Support (Quote): “States with waiting periods have lower gun suicide rates” (Dunton et al. 1331).
7. How Does the Quote Nullify the Objection?: This indicates that thoughtful regulations can save lives and reduce violence.
8. Concluding Sentence: Therefore, the claim that criminals will always find guns does not negate the effectiveness of stringent laws.

D. Objection 3

1. Topic Sentence: A frequent argument against gun control reforms is that widespread gun ownership is necessary for self-defense.
2. Refute the Objection: However, having a gun at home significantly raises the odds of a gun-related accident, suicide, or domestic violence incident.
3. Support (Quote): People in homes with firearms are “three times more” at risk of being killed (Kongkaewpaisan et al. 1601).
4. How Does the Quote Nullify the Objection?: This data challenges the notion that more guns lead to greater safety.
5. Refute the Objection: The argument for self-defense fails to consider the inherent dangers of gun ownership.
6. Support (Quote): “At 40,000 fatalities each year, deaths from firearms exceed those from falls and motor vehicle accidents” (Kongkaewpaisan 1599).
7. How Does the Quote Nullify the Objection?: This suggests that safety can be achieved without increasing the risks associated with firearms.
8. Concluding Sentence: Thus, the self-defense argument does not outweigh the significant risks posed by gun ownership.

E. Conclusion

1. Tie Back to Attention Grabber: In conclusion, the need for gun control policy reforms in the United States is imperative.
2. Tie Back/Explain: Gun violence has a profound impact on society, one that cannot be ignored.
3. Explain: Guns often result in heartbreaking loss, economic strain, and psychological trauma (Bulger et al. 276).
4. Explain: This growing crisis is being ignored by current policies because there are still loopholes and inconsistencies.
5. Sentence About Body Paragraph 1: Viable solutions to the urgent problem of preventing gun violence include universal background checks, mandatory waiting periods, community-based prevention programs, and limiting high-capacity magazines
6. Sentence About Body Paragraph 2: With these steps, the US can go a long way toward reducing gun violence and keeping its people safe.
7. Sentence About Body Paragraph 3: Change is not a choice but an obligation to ourselves and generations to come.
8. Final Thought Mic Drop: It is time for action, and we cannot afford to wait for another tragedy to prompt us to make real change. This is a critical time for us to choose to uphold public security against the interests of a few since preserving the right to bear arms does not come at the expense of everyone’s safety.

Works Cited

Ashworth, Todd R., and Claudia A. Kozinetz. “The Mitigating Effect of Low Firearm Background Check Requirements on Firearm Homicides in Border States.” Journal of Injury and Violence Research, vol. 13, no. 2, Jan. 2021, pp. 111-116. https://doi.org/10.5249/jivr.v13i2.1555.

Blocher, Joseph, and Reva B. Seigel. “When guns threaten the public sphere: a new account of public safety regulation under Heller.” Nw. UL Rev. 116 (2021): 139.

Bulger, Eileen M., et al. “Nationwide Survey of Trauma Center Screening and Intervention Practices for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Firearm Violence, Mental Health, and Substance Use Disorders.” Journal of the American College of Surgeons, vol. 234, no. 3, Feb. 2022, pp. 274–287. https://doi.org/10.1097/xcs.0000000000000064.

Dunton, Zachary R., et al. “The Association between Repealing the 48-Hour Mandatory Waiting Period on Handgun Purchases and Suicide Rates in Wisconsin.” Archives of Suicide Research, vol. 26, no. 3, Feb. 2021, pp. 1327–1335. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2021.1886209.

Hurka, Steffen, and Christoph Knill. “Does Regulation Matter? A Cross‐national Analysis of the Impact of Gun Policies on Homicide and Suicide Rates.” Regulation & Governance, vol. 14, no. 4, Dec. 2018, pp. 787–803. https://doi.org/10.1111/rego.12235.

Kongkaewpaisan, Napaporn, et al. “No Place Like Home: A National Study on Firearm-Related Injuries in the American Household.” The American Journal of Surgery, vol. 220, no. 6, Apr. 2020, pp. 1599–1604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.04.030.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Argument Outline

A. Introduction
1. attention grabber
2. opener/explanation
3. explanation
4. background
5. background
6. background
7. background
8. thesis – include keywords from each body paragraph topic sentence, states topic and your
position
B. Objection 1
1. topic sentence – keywords from thesis
2. Refute the objection (How is the objection wrong?)
3. Support (quote)
4. How does quote nullify the objection? (How does quote support your position?)
5. Refute the objection (How is the objection wrong?)
6. Support (quote)
7. How does quote nullify the objection (How does quote support your position?)
8. concluding sentence – keywords from topic sentence
C. Objection 2
1. topic sentence – keywords from thesis
2. Refute the objection (How is the objection wrong?)
3. Support (quote)
4. How does quote nullify the objection? (How does quote support your position?)
5. Refute the objection (How is the objection wrong?)
6. Support (quote)
7. How does quote nullify the objection (How does quote support your position?)
8. concluding sentence – keywords from topic sentence
D. Objection 3
1. topic sentence – keywords from thesis
2. Refute the objection (How is the objection wrong?)
3. Support (quote)
4. How does quote nullify the objection? (How does quote support your position?)
5. Refute the objection (How is the objection wrong?)
6. Support (quote)
7. How does quote nullify the objection (How does quote support your position?)
8. concluding sentence – keywords from topic sentence

Argument Outline: The Necessity of Reforming Gun Control Policies in the United States

E. Conclusion
1. tie back to attention grabber
2. tie back/explain
3. explain
4. explain
5. sentence about body paragraph 1
6. sentence about body paragraph 2
7. sentence about body paragraph 3
8. final thought mic drop