IDEES POUR COMMENTAIRE ORAL SUR LE THEME GUNS IN THE USA
To discuss the notion of Places and Forms of Power, I'm going to present the situation of Gun Control in the USA.
Indeed, when we think of power, the influence of weapons in the USA plays a major part in the society.
The history of the country shows that the Americans have always felt the need to be armed, but we may wonder why, and eventually we'll see that the society is deeply divided on this topical issue, with the supporters of « the right to bear an arm » as it is written in the 2nd Amendment of the American Constitution on the one hand mainly represented by the members of the NRA, and the opponents on the other hand, or rather the people in the USA who would like a restriction of the law, so that it couldn't so easy to get a gun in their country. The association « Demand a plan » for example.
1st part
The history of the USA and why do the Americans feel the need to own a gun.
2nd part
A divided society
Conclusion and personal opinion
One of the most intense debates in America: gun control. In 2005, the Gallup research organization reported that about three in ten Americans had a gun. Some Americans want more limits on the kinds of weapons and equipment ordinary citizens can have. A number of recent shootings have only intensified the debate.
President Obama named some recent victims of gun violence in his State of the Union speech to Congress and the nation in February 2013. They included a 15-year-old girl in Chicago, a member of Congress in Arizona, elementary school children in Connecticut and people at a movie theater in Colorado. President Obama called on Congress to vote on gun control measures.
“Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.
The families of Newtown deserve a vote.
The families of Aurora deserve a vote.
The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence – they deserve a simple vote.”
But British writer Edward Davies says there is nothing simple about the issue of gun control. Mr. Davies writes about America for BMJ, the British Medical Journal. He does not favor a particular position on the issue.
"It’s interesting. It’s complicated, and there’s no right answer, is what’s slowly emerging as far as I can see."
Mr. Davies sees American history, including the Second Amendment to the Constitution, as the driving force in the dispute.
The Second Amendment reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Gun rights supporters -- and the Supreme Court -- say the amendment guarantees individuals the right to own a gun. Gun control activists say the amendment was meant to guarantee states the right to organize militias for defense.
The National Rifle Association represents at least 3.5 million gun owners and manufacturers. The NRA strongly supports gun ownership rights. It said the proposed government-supported research was an attempt to win public support for gun control.
Since the Sandy Hook shootings, several groups have suggested measures to reduce gun violence. Some activists are pushing for a ban on certain kinds of guns, such as the military-style assault rifles used at Sandy Hook and in other mass shootings. Activists also want to ban ammunition magazines that hold a large number of bullets. They argue that ordinary citizens do not need these kinds of weapons, even for hunting animals or for their own safety.
Yet gun rights advocates say guns are not the problem.
“A gun is a tool. The problem is the criminal. Criminals operate outside the system.”