Critical Thinking in Argumentation
Course Description:
Introduction to the study of argumentation theory and critical thinking. Emphasizing reasoning, issues, practice and audience analysis in diverse decision-making contexts.
Introduction to the study of argumentation theory and critical thinking. Emphasizing reasoning, issues, practice and audience analysis in diverse decision-making contexts.
Signature Assignment
Karina Gonzalez
Givens Ashley, Instructor
COMM 1270-351-F19
04-December 2019
Educating The Public About Gun Control and Mental Illness
Nearly 1 in 10 adults in the United States have access to guns and also have a problem with anger and impulsive aggressive behavior. According to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) this is a fact based on empirical evidence that persons with serious mental issues like bipolar disorder, major depression, psychosis, paranoia, schizophrenia, drugs, and alcohol abuse related to domestic violence are potentially dangerous and, this type of individuals should not have gun access.(1)
Background checks for gun sales are successful at checking for previous criminal behavior, however, it currently does not check for mental disorders. Tus does not prevent dangerous people with mental issues from committing senseless acts of violence. For instance the shooter Stephen Paddock, in Las Vegas Nevada, killed 58 people and injures 413. He, however, passed all required background checks and all his guns were legally purchased. Based on the facts on this unfortunate event, further restrictions on legal gun sales would result in fewer mass shootings if the focus would be on checking individual with personality mental disorders. (2)
Scientifically, practically, legally and ethically speaking, we need to learn how to identify dangerous people with mental disorders, how to limit gun access for individuals who are considered dangerous, and lastly how we are going to restrict gun access without infringing the rights of law-adiding gun owners. Individuals who have engaged in pseudocommando behavior or who had required hospitalization for unstable mentallity, are obvious examples of individuals who might “fly under the radar” these people should not under any circumstances have access to firearms. (3)
Individuals who have mental issues should be a valid basic argument for legal disqualifications from firearms. Persons who present angry behavior and also have been convicted of a violent crime, or persons that have experienced mental health crisis and are indeed at elevated risk of harming themselves or others. Policymakers and the public need more knowledge to seek solutions to prevent future tragedies focusing on mental illness and get a global understanding regarding the true implications and the root of this problem. (4)
In Section 5150 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code, for example, authorizes law enforcement officers to check a risky person for prior mental health treatment and then be required to go to a facility, where an individual may be held for up to 72 hours for a psychiatric evaluation. Once Physicians make an assessment and evaluate a person who is applying for a concealed carry permit, and as a result that the patient suffers from any physical or mental infirmity, the physicians can stop the process of a sale of a firearm. (5)
We have to be aware and more vigilant to pay attention not to miss a person who is planning a senseless act. Therefore physicians should not overlook the possible connection with extreme mental illness and mass killers, and should target individuals that are experiencing a significant disturbance in mental function.
Another solution could be turning to those around you. Individuals who are familiar with how to handle guns, have completed a background check and have the proper training can be helpful to deal with a threatening situation. Based on statements made by The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute Inc (SAAMI), which explained that responsible gun owners have common knowledge about firearms, do not have any background with mental illness, and have practiced understanding of gun safety. Statistically it is very rare that these individuals are involved in any type of incident related to gun violence and, are more likely to have knowledge and be better equipt to deal with threatening situations. (6)
One of the main focus to deal with gun control is that also children need to be educated about gun safety. Whether you are in favor or not, parents should teach their kids and have open communication with their kids about guns and gun safety. Other potential dangers such as knives, swimming pools, TV and furniture tip-over, batteries, stoves, and electrical outlets, are taught to kids at a very young age and most parents take safety precautions in order to prevent accidents. As kids grow and discover new things, our responsibility as a parent grows to explain the potential dangers that can occur when a firearm is misused. (7)
There is a lot of miscoception about guns and the public needs to get educated to undesrstand that this is a problem of failed community, a failed culture and people who are not taking responsability for not takingthe right actions for the right reasons, this is a parenting problem, a mental issue, isolation problem and depresion issue. Guns are inanomate objects, the same as any tool or vehicle, they do not operate on their own... It is only in the hands of the user which makes it good or bad.
There is a direct correlation with good parenting, gun safety, being responsibleis and teaching our kids what is right and wrong, setting limits along with discipline and, being persistent to enforce rules at home, and teach them about the potential dangers of when guns are misused. It is time to understand the real issue and explore real concrete solutions to this problem.
Gun control is a real concern in the United States and giving the existing criteria physicians and law enforcement should join voices and work together to separate guns from dangerous people. This might not be an easy task to accomplish but we have to explore better options and different ways to make America a better country.
References
(1)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ( 2015 ) Injury Prevention & Control: Data & Statistics. Web‐based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS).Fatal Injury Data and Nonfatal Injury Data, Jan. 28, 2015. (Available from http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html ).
(2)Gun Control Policy-Pro & Con: Background Checks and the “Gun Show Loophole.” (2019). Congressional Digest, 98(9), 2. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=139187567&site=ehostlive
(3)Swanson, J. W., & Felthous, A. R. (2015). Guns, Mental Illness, and the Law: Introduction to This Issue. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, (Issue 2-3), 167. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.journals.bsclw33.14&site=eds-live
(4) <cci:TypographyTag class=character displayname=TypographyTag(11) name=TypographyTag11. (n.d.). Focus on real solutions, not anti-gun agenda. USA Today. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=J0E360600286117&site=ehost-live
(5)Horwitz, J., Grilley, A., & Kennedy, O. (2015). Beyond the Academic Journal: Unfreezing Misconceptions About Mental Illness and Gun Violence Through Knowledge Translation to Decision-Makers. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, (Issue 2-3), 356. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.journals.bsclw33.29&site=eds-live
(6)Frattaroli, S., McGinty, E. E., Barnhorst, A., & Greenberg, S. (2015). Gun Violence Restraining Orders: Alternative or Adjunct to Mental Health-Based Restrictions on Firearms. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, (Issue 2-3), 290. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.journals.bsclw33.24&site=eds-live
(7)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ( 2015 ) Injury Prevention & Control: Data & Statistics. Web‐based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS).Fatal Injury Data and Nonfatal Injury Data, Jan. 28, 2015. (Available from http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html ).
Givens Ashley, Instructor
COMM 1270-351-F19
04-December 2019
Educating The Public About Gun Control and Mental Illness
Nearly 1 in 10 adults in the United States have access to guns and also have a problem with anger and impulsive aggressive behavior. According to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) this is a fact based on empirical evidence that persons with serious mental issues like bipolar disorder, major depression, psychosis, paranoia, schizophrenia, drugs, and alcohol abuse related to domestic violence are potentially dangerous and, this type of individuals should not have gun access.(1)
Background checks for gun sales are successful at checking for previous criminal behavior, however, it currently does not check for mental disorders. Tus does not prevent dangerous people with mental issues from committing senseless acts of violence. For instance the shooter Stephen Paddock, in Las Vegas Nevada, killed 58 people and injures 413. He, however, passed all required background checks and all his guns were legally purchased. Based on the facts on this unfortunate event, further restrictions on legal gun sales would result in fewer mass shootings if the focus would be on checking individual with personality mental disorders. (2)
Scientifically, practically, legally and ethically speaking, we need to learn how to identify dangerous people with mental disorders, how to limit gun access for individuals who are considered dangerous, and lastly how we are going to restrict gun access without infringing the rights of law-adiding gun owners. Individuals who have engaged in pseudocommando behavior or who had required hospitalization for unstable mentallity, are obvious examples of individuals who might “fly under the radar” these people should not under any circumstances have access to firearms. (3)
Individuals who have mental issues should be a valid basic argument for legal disqualifications from firearms. Persons who present angry behavior and also have been convicted of a violent crime, or persons that have experienced mental health crisis and are indeed at elevated risk of harming themselves or others. Policymakers and the public need more knowledge to seek solutions to prevent future tragedies focusing on mental illness and get a global understanding regarding the true implications and the root of this problem. (4)
In Section 5150 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code, for example, authorizes law enforcement officers to check a risky person for prior mental health treatment and then be required to go to a facility, where an individual may be held for up to 72 hours for a psychiatric evaluation. Once Physicians make an assessment and evaluate a person who is applying for a concealed carry permit, and as a result that the patient suffers from any physical or mental infirmity, the physicians can stop the process of a sale of a firearm. (5)
We have to be aware and more vigilant to pay attention not to miss a person who is planning a senseless act. Therefore physicians should not overlook the possible connection with extreme mental illness and mass killers, and should target individuals that are experiencing a significant disturbance in mental function.
Another solution could be turning to those around you. Individuals who are familiar with how to handle guns, have completed a background check and have the proper training can be helpful to deal with a threatening situation. Based on statements made by The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute Inc (SAAMI), which explained that responsible gun owners have common knowledge about firearms, do not have any background with mental illness, and have practiced understanding of gun safety. Statistically it is very rare that these individuals are involved in any type of incident related to gun violence and, are more likely to have knowledge and be better equipt to deal with threatening situations. (6)
One of the main focus to deal with gun control is that also children need to be educated about gun safety. Whether you are in favor or not, parents should teach their kids and have open communication with their kids about guns and gun safety. Other potential dangers such as knives, swimming pools, TV and furniture tip-over, batteries, stoves, and electrical outlets, are taught to kids at a very young age and most parents take safety precautions in order to prevent accidents. As kids grow and discover new things, our responsibility as a parent grows to explain the potential dangers that can occur when a firearm is misused. (7)
There is a lot of miscoception about guns and the public needs to get educated to undesrstand that this is a problem of failed community, a failed culture and people who are not taking responsability for not takingthe right actions for the right reasons, this is a parenting problem, a mental issue, isolation problem and depresion issue. Guns are inanomate objects, the same as any tool or vehicle, they do not operate on their own... It is only in the hands of the user which makes it good or bad.
There is a direct correlation with good parenting, gun safety, being responsibleis and teaching our kids what is right and wrong, setting limits along with discipline and, being persistent to enforce rules at home, and teach them about the potential dangers of when guns are misused. It is time to understand the real issue and explore real concrete solutions to this problem.
Gun control is a real concern in the United States and giving the existing criteria physicians and law enforcement should join voices and work together to separate guns from dangerous people. This might not be an easy task to accomplish but we have to explore better options and different ways to make America a better country.
References
(1)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ( 2015 ) Injury Prevention & Control: Data & Statistics. Web‐based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS).Fatal Injury Data and Nonfatal Injury Data, Jan. 28, 2015. (Available from http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html ).
(2)Gun Control Policy-Pro & Con: Background Checks and the “Gun Show Loophole.” (2019). Congressional Digest, 98(9), 2. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=139187567&site=ehostlive
(3)Swanson, J. W., & Felthous, A. R. (2015). Guns, Mental Illness, and the Law: Introduction to This Issue. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, (Issue 2-3), 167. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.journals.bsclw33.14&site=eds-live
(4) <cci:TypographyTag class=character displayname=TypographyTag(11) name=TypographyTag11. (n.d.). Focus on real solutions, not anti-gun agenda. USA Today. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=J0E360600286117&site=ehost-live
(5)Horwitz, J., Grilley, A., & Kennedy, O. (2015). Beyond the Academic Journal: Unfreezing Misconceptions About Mental Illness and Gun Violence Through Knowledge Translation to Decision-Makers. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, (Issue 2-3), 356. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.journals.bsclw33.29&site=eds-live
(6)Frattaroli, S., McGinty, E. E., Barnhorst, A., & Greenberg, S. (2015). Gun Violence Restraining Orders: Alternative or Adjunct to Mental Health-Based Restrictions on Firearms. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, (Issue 2-3), 290. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.journals.bsclw33.24&site=eds-live
(7)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ( 2015 ) Injury Prevention & Control: Data & Statistics. Web‐based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS).Fatal Injury Data and Nonfatal Injury Data, Jan. 28, 2015. (Available from http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html ).
Reflection
I have been always interested in debates, substantial conversations, how to make a good argument and have better communication skills. I liked this class because, it helped me to develop critical thinking, exercise dialogue with my classmates, develop conversational competence, how to reason with issues and how to develop different kinds of arguments based on audience spheres.
I really like the exercises we had during class when I had to engage in a group conversation. We had the opportunity to shared ideas about the essential elements of arguments and listen to different viewpoints.
Chapter 3 “Analysis of arguments” was my favorite. We learned about how we have to discover and state a claim as a part of the first guideline for analyzing an argument. We also learn the understanding of the different types of guidelines, and how to examine warrants to determine the kind of argument we are analyzing.
I really like the exercises we had during class when I had to engage in a group conversation. We had the opportunity to shared ideas about the essential elements of arguments and listen to different viewpoints.
Chapter 3 “Analysis of arguments” was my favorite. We learned about how we have to discover and state a claim as a part of the first guideline for analyzing an argument. We also learn the understanding of the different types of guidelines, and how to examine warrants to determine the kind of argument we are analyzing.