English#5a

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Safety First: Open Carry Firearms on Higher Education Campuses in Arizona

Student Name

Columbia Southern University

EH 1020 English Composition II

Instructor Name

Due Date

Full title of the paper with the

major words beginning with a

capital letter

Top of page, plain

number on right of

header

Student’s first and last

name

Name of the institution

will always be

“Columbia Southern

University.”

Unit IV Color Key:

• Blue: APA document formatting

• Red: Example common mistakes in APA style

• Brown: Paragraph number and label

• Green: Sentence-level number and

explanation

Please note that the margins are a little wider than standard on

this example paper so as to make room for the comment bubbles.

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Safety First: Open Carry Firearms on Higher Education Campuses in Arizona

Much has been made in the past few years about gun restrictions in the U.S.

Proponents of gun regulation are in a constant state of lobbying for state and federal bills

that restrict access to firearms, whether that takes the form of more extensive background

checks on potential gun owners or longer waiting periods before guns may be sold to

individuals. On the other side, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other like-

minded individuals advocate for looser restrictions on the sale and carrying of firearms.

For these supporters of pro-gun legislation, owning and carrying guns is a fundamental

right—even a civil right. While this national debate continues to loom over the hot topic

of guns, there are breaking news stories, especially within the last few months, that bring

this fundamental debate to the threshold of our nations’ colleges, high schools, even

elementary schools. Seung-Hui Cho’s massacre at Virginia Tech (April 16, 2007) is

perhaps one of the more infamous school shootings, but there are others that are perhaps

more difficult to remember, like the deaths of 27 killed at Sandy Hook Elementary

School in Newton, Connecticut (December 14, 2012) (CNN, 2015). Shootings like these

in educational settings have drawn attention from both anti-gun proponents and pro-gun

lobbyists, and the State of Arizona is no exception to this firestorm. The Arizona State

legislature has proposed SB 1474, a gun bill that will allow students and faculty to carry

guns on the campus grounds of its three state-funded universities. Supporters of the bill

claim that Arizona is an open carry state, and those rights should not be restricted simply

because the carrier crosses the border of a college campus. Those against the bill assert

that guns have no place in education and that those who support the bill are only after

their own election-year agendas. While the Second Amendment should be upheld, the

Full title presented again at the top of the page.

Para 1:

Introductio

n

Sentence 1 (S1): Amanda introduces the main topic (gun control) in a generalized manner; this sentence also introduces the con side of the controversy.

S2 & S3: Follows S1 by introducing the position of the pro side; again, Amanda is general, focusing on the larger controversy.

S4: Amanda begins to

narrow the scope of the project by pointing

towards a specific

debate within the

controversy of gun

control: gun control in

educational settings.

S5: Specific examples from the news. Note that these are examples of school shootings with which most people are familiar. This grounds the project to what is at stake in making arguments about this topic.

S6: Amanda again narrows the scope of the project by moving from gun control in educational settings to this debate as it takes place in a specific location: Arizona.

S7: In this sentence, the writer introduces the specific topic of the project: the controversy around SB1474.

S8 & 9: Following the same order from above (con first, then pro), Amanda presents the sides of the controversy by introducing each specific position.

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educational learning environment should be protected; therefore, SB 1474 is a

detrimental and dangerous bill that has the potential to change the university campus

culture in Arizona state universities.

The Literature Review

In order to better understanding the origins of SB1474 and the controversy that

surrounds it, the history of gun violence in school settings must be taken into account;

therefore, a brief look at some of the events of the past few decades is presented. Further,

this review will examine in greater detail the positions of the two sides of the

controversy, beginning with the pro-SB1474 side, which is in favor of allowing open

carry on all Arizona state-funded campuses. Then the position of those against SB1474

will be presented; again, this con side is arguing for Arizona campuses to remain as they

are now: a place without firearms.

A Brief Look at Gun Violence in Schools

The topic of gun control in educational environments exploded in 1999 when Eric

Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into a virtually unknown high school in Littleton, CO,

and killed twelve students and one teacher (Gibbs and Roche, 1999). Questions of how

such events could occur and concerns about the violence of which teens and young adults

are capable became the concern of pressured administrators and horrified parents in big

cities and small towns alike. A string of school gun-centered violence followed over the

next few years. Perhaps most striking though was the way in which this one incident

changed the culture of America: clear backpacks, more metal detectors, and (of course)

S10: Amanda presents her thesis statement. She responds to the controversy by crafting a thesis statement that simultaneousl y agrees and disagrees.

Para 2: Preface of the

Literature Review

Para 3: Brief

History

This is a second-level heading. It is left-hand justified and bold. All major words are capitalized. This tells the reader that this next section is a division of the first-level heading that is directly above.

First-level heading: All major sections of the paper will be first-level, including The literature Review, Body, and Conclusion. You may choose to mark the Introduction, but it is typically not done because the title of the paper stands for the heading level. Note that the title is centered and bold with title-case capitalization.

Note how Amanda prefaces the LR by giving the reader an idea of what will be included. You might also note that the paragraph is written in passive voice so that she can avoid using personal pronouns such as “I.”

Amanda has made a mistake: Only the ampersand (&) should be used in a parenthetical citation.

This citation is in APA. It shows the authors and year of publication. This sentence is a paraphrase of Gibbs and Roche. The reader can look at the references page to find the original document.

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fear. Cloud (1999) points out some of the extreme, “zero tolerance” actions taken by

schools shortly following the Columbine shootings:

A seven-year-old boy in Cahokia, Ill., is suspended for having a nail clipper at

school. A 10th-grader at Surry County High School in Virginia is booted for

having blue-dyed hair. A Minnesota high school nixes a yearbook photo of an

Army enlistee in the senior class because it shows her sitting atop a cannon

outside a Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

Far from the exception, these actions considered these many years later seem

unreasonable, even in a post-9/11 world filled with uncertainty.

The Argument for Open Carry Everywhere in Arizona

However, in Arizona, the newly proposed SB 1474 would not seek to disarm

students; on the contrary, the bill would allow students the right to concealed carry on

state-funded university campuses. Proponents of the bill assert that such a measure is

long over due. According to an NRA poster that were taped to message boards all over

The University of Arizona campus, “[s]elf-defense is one of the most fundamental rights

of every human being.” Further, the poster states that the NRA has worked diligently

over the past 25 years to expand the right of open carry: the NRA has been “working for

passage of fair Right-to-Carry laws, expansion of carry reciprocity between the states and

the elimination of many ‘no-carry’ zones that only affect the law-abiding.” For the NRA,

one of the major private-public backers of the SB 1474, the restriction of concealed carry

on college campuses is an infringement on these basic rights. The flyer goes on to state

the following:

Here is another way to include a parenthetical citation. Amanda has incorporated the author’s name into the sentence. Note that the year of publication is presented after the author, but there is no citation at the end of the sentence because the information is already presented at the beginning.

This quotation is called a “block.” If a quotation is over 40 words long, then you must “block” it by removing the quotation marks and indenting the entire quotation ½” from the left-hand margin. If this quotation would have been from a print text, then the page number would have been included at the end of the sentence, but it was an electronic source.

Para 4: Pro side

There are three second-level headings in the

LR. Headings help you and the reader to see

the organization of your paper.

Amanda presents a closer look at the pro side before the con side. Note that she is not engaging with the arguments, only presenting them as fairly as she can. The LR is about the arguments of others. Amanda knows she will be able to make her own arguments in the Body of the paper.

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Those who oppose campus carry [of firearms] argue that educational institutions

should be treated differently, based on emotional claims that places of higher

learning are somehow exempt from real-world violence. But the truth is, despite

current prohibitions on legally carrying on campuses, crimes already occur on

campus, and the right to self- defense from those violent acts should be respected.

(NRA, 2012)

The NRA is correct. In fact, given the number of school-related shootings in the past few

months alone, it would seem that a student’s chances of being shot on campus seem

greater than if that same student were walking the streets of the community. From larger

cities to small towns, it seems that the size of the community does not matter: the

violence of a shooting can occur anywhere. However, even with this fact floating in the

backs of students’ minds, students must still attend classes and while it would seem

obvious that lawmakers on both sides want student safety, they just see the means to that

safety from different sides of the same coin.

The Case for Campuses as Unique

Eugene Sander (2012), the Interim President of the University of Arizona,

released the following statement about SB 1474: “I have been a gun owner for all my

adult life, and am fully supportive of the right to own a gun. However, having faculty,

staff or students bringing weapons into classrooms and other campus activities will do

nothing to make our campus safer.” While Sander does not go into detail about what this

newly proposed bill does have to do with, he makes his case on the basis that 50,000

students, staff, and faculty attend the campus daily, along with over 20,000 visitors

annually. For Sander (2015), the educational environment is a “unique atmosphere that is

Para 5: Con

side

This citation is correct. Amanda did not have to include the author’s first name, but it is fine to do so the first time that the author’s name is mentioned.

Amanda has made a mistake. Each time an author is included, the year of publication must follow. So this should read as follows: “While Sander (2012)…”

Amanda has made a mistake. The actual year of the publication is 2012. Be careful about editing for errors like this in your own paper.

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dependent on open and vigorous debate. Introducing guns into classrooms would

dramatically and negatively impact the ability to engage in constructive dialogue.” In

other words, even if the NRA does not believe that the university is a unique atmosphere,

as Sander and others do, then there is still a possibility that introducing the right to carry

concealed weapons on campus might lead to a change to the very culture of the

university.

While Arizona lawmakers continue to debate the merits of SB1474, the public

debate grows, as this issue concerns both public safety and citizens’ rights. Because the

three state universities in Arizona are publicly funded, the debate about allowing open

carry is very much a concern held by the communities in which these universities reside.

Those who are in favor of the change to an open carry status on university campuses wish

(a) for the open carry laws of the State of Arizona to be extended to all areas, which

includes all publicly funding institutions, such as the universities, and (b) for the open

carry of firearms to act as a deterrent to gun-related violence on college campuses. For

those who are against the passing of SB1474, many of whom occupy the space of the

university as professors, students, or administrators, the question of allowing the open

carry of firearms is no actual question at all: there is simply no need to involve weapons

in a space that is meant for open dialogue and debate. In as much as the Second

Amendment should be observed and upheld in the fashion adopted by the State of

Arizona in the form of open carry, the university setting is unique in that concerns about

open and free expression should be at the forefront—essentially making this bill a

potentially dangerous one that should be reconsidered or withdrawn completely.

Para 6: LR Conclusion S1 & 2:

Amanda creates a topic sentence that encapsulates the concern of the controversy, and she includes a second sentence to increase understanding.

S3: Amanda summarizes the two main arguments of the pro side, which favors the passing of SB1474.

S4: Amanda summarizes the main argument of the con side, those who are against the passing of SB1474

S5: Amanda reiterates her own position by reasserting her thesis statement. Note that the thesis statement is slightly different than the original at the end of the Introduction paragraph.

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References

CNN Library. (2015, October 19). 28 deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history fast facts.

CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/16/us/20-deadliest-mass-shootings-in-u-s-

history-fast-facts/

Cloud, J. (1999, November 28). The Columbine effect. Time.

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,35098,00.html

Gibbs, N. & Roche, T. (1999, December 20). The Columbine tapes. Time.

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,992873,00.html

National Rifle Association. (2012). Arizona Self-Defense on Campus [Flyer]. NRA:

Author.

Sander, Eugene. (2012, March 20). UA President opposes campus guns bill. KGUN-TV.

http://www.kgun9.com

An APA list of references should be labeled “References,” not “Works Cited” or “Bibliograph.”

Titles in APA are presented in sentence-case capitalization, meaning that only the first word or any proper noun should begin with a capital letter.

Amanda has made a mistake. Only the “A” in Arizona should be capitalized in this title.

Amanda has made a mistake by including the full name of the author here.

The last name is presented first; then the first name and middle (if present) are included as initials. An ampersand (&) is used for more than one author.