Annotated Bibliography on Gun Control

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Annotated Bibliography

Keidan, Greg. "Talking about guns and violence: Strategies for facilitating constructive dialogues." National Civic Review 103.3 (2014): 48-54. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Apr. 2016.

Summary

This article offers strategies for facilitating dialogues on the issues of gun control and gun-related violence. According to the author, discussions which frame these topics as a conflict between the binary alternatives of gun control and gun rights will be unproductive. Instead the author suggests that facilitators should use neutral language and demonstrate understanding and respect towards all perspectives. Additionally, the author emphasizes the importance of engaging non advocates and of sharing and hearing individual perspectives and stories through keypad polling technology and social media dialogue tools.

Evaluation

This article is relevant because it give statistics on gun related deaths in the US and provides ways of reversing the trend. The article is also current and contains some gun related incidences that are still in the minds of the American society including the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The article also acknowledges the politics revolving around legislation of gun laws and calls for a dialogue to reach a consensus on the issue. The article appeals to all stakeholders to take control of the gun legislation debate and the significant role of the Congress in the issue.

Reflection

This article recognizes the importance of developing effective messaging of gun laws and delivering it though a wide variety of traditional media and online networks to reach a broad audience. Besides, such efforts should reach all Americans regardless of their stance on gun rights and gun control. The author also calls for engagement through their networks. Indeed, involving a broad spectrum of people with differing views and engaging role models in the society would create an inclusive and impactful dialogue to enhance the safety and security of all Americans. As more people engage in productive discussions about guns and violence, the issue would not be a permanent dividing line in the American society

Lindgren, James. "Forward: The past and future of guns." Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology 104.4 (2015): 705-716. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Apr. 2016.

Summary

This article by James Lindgren look at the history of gun control and seeks to evaluate how previous legislation might impact future gun laws. The article recognizes that since the individual civil right to own a gun now enshrined by the Supreme Court, the debate can now move to which gun policies make the most sense.  In thinking about what gun control can and cannot accomplish, one should recognize that gun control seldom makes a big difference one way or the other.  The position of the author is that since guns tend to have conflicting effects: they make fights, crimes, and suicide attempts more lethal but they also deter some criminals.