Annotated Bibliography

POSITION STATEMENT ACTIVITY

My father used to say, “Don’t raise your voice; improve your argument.” –Desmond Tutu

In order to improve discourse on a topic, one needs to understand all perspectives of an issue. This exercise will help you to examine all sides of your proposed issue for the Video Argument Presentation before making a formal position statement concerning it. If this approach is utilized over time, it will help to pattern your thinking (and listening) when engaged in the art of argumentation.

Directions:

1. Start with the debatable topic from the humanities that you are proposing as your choice for the final Video Argument Presentation. Identify this in the TOPIC box.

2. Next, locate at least one source of information that supports the topic and summarize it in the PROS box. A source might be a news article, website, or professional blog.

3. Then, locate at least one source of information that is against the stated position and summarize it in CONS box.

4. Finally, locate at least one source of information that represent a neutral position and summarize it in the NEUTRAL box.

5. Cite your source in correct APA format (see APA guides in the Course Resources module) at the bottom of each box for the PRO, CON, and NEUTRAL.

6. Now, create a formal position statement. This will state where you stand on the topic or issue. The following link is a reminder for how to write a position statement: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson394/position-statement.pdf

7. Save the template as Word document (the rows will expand), and upload the completed table for a grade.

TOPIC

Guns, do the laws help save lives or cost them?

PRO

Summary: We know, because of research directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that guns are used 16 to 100 times more often to protect life than to take life. That means there are a whole lot more “guns save lives stories” not being reported by USA TODAY. Source: Pratt, Erich (2019, August 5) USA Today, Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/08/05/gun-owners-america-guns-save-lives-every-day-editorials-debates/1916643001/

CON

Summary: Gun control entails the laws and regulations that have been put in place in the US barring the unnecessary use of guns. Some laws and regulations entailing the ownership of guns in the US have also been formulated (Wolfson, 2016). However, the level of gun crimes in the US has not significantly dropped as a result of gun control laws. Source: Wolfson, T. (2016). The US Public’s Preference for Safer Guns. American Journal of Public Health (1971), 106(3), 411–413.

NEUTRAL

Summary: The number of firearms being bought in the US has increased significantly over the recent years and that indicates that despite the gun laws and regulations that have been put in place, people are still buying firearms in accordance with their constitutional rights. Such statistics are terrifying since it indicates that most of the people acquiring the guns do not have the skills and knowledge to use them. This lack of knowledge and skill results in the misuse of guns and cause a symmetrical increase in gun violence (The Heritage Foundation, n.d.). With gun control in place, it is expected that the number of guns sold should have reduced, however, seeing that the numbers are rising, indicates that gun laws and regulations have not yet been implemented accordingly. Source: The Heritage Foundation. (n.d.). Defensive gun uses in the U.S. Defensive Gun Uses in the U.S. | The Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/data-visualizations/firearms/defensive-gun-uses-in-the-us/

POSITION STATEMENT

Due to gun control, some US residents cannot acquire guns and that has resulted in areas with an increase in crime because criminals do not anticipate any retaliation from their victims, and take advantage of gun-less situations. Most gun-owning citizens in the U.S. possess guns to protect themselves, therefore, with the absence of guns there are higher chances that they would be victims of crime.