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Trisha Anderson
Professor Courtney
July 27, 2015
English 2010

Evaluation
Gun control has been an ongoing debate for people on both sides of the issue. Recently
more Americans are supporting gun rights rather than gun control. After reading the article Gun
control? Americans increasingly see more guns as the solution, not the problem. I found it to
have credible information and sources because it had links within the article to provide more
information on the topic, as well as the author writes about politics for The Fix. She was
previously the one-woman D.C. bureau for the Las Vegas Sun and has reported from Boston and
Taiwan.
The intended audience for the piece is a wide range of people due to
the article being part of a large well known daily newspaper. The piece
appeals to readers emotions due to the severity of the issue. The article talks
about the mass shootings in Newtown as well as the recent shooting in
Lafayette. When these tragic events are brought up it appeals to emotions
by putting fears in the back of their minds that every day activities could put
them in danger.

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I think the article is effective because the author stays objective and
quotes statements from both sides of the issue, providing links to other
articles that provide quotes from politicians from both sides of the aisle.
Although to add more credibility, she could have gone more in depth,
providing more outside sources. The author relied too heavily on source
material from other Washington Post articles.
Additionally, she could have gone into depth on why Americans think
this is the answer and not the problem. She could have provided insight into
what new gun control legislation is being considered. It states in the
National Conference of State Legislatures, that Obamas plan for gun control
is to require background checks for all gun sales and strengthens the
background check system. This would include removing barriers under the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, so that states may more
freely share information about mental health issues involving potential gun
purchasers. The article conveys the message that gun control is going
nowhere in congress and that nothing has changed. More emphasis could
have put on demonstrating the idea that public opinion is that Americans
think that guns can help prevent crime.

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My overall judgment of the article was that she did a good job of
expressing both sides of the issue. She maintained balance throughout the
article without showing bias towards one side or the other. She remained
objective and logical about how divided this topic is both for average
Americans and the politicians who represent them with her references to
arguments on both sides of the gun control debate using recent tragedies as
evidence to their points. She lays out the arguments in such a way that
allows the reader to come to their own conclusion.

Works Cited
Phillips, Amber. "Gun Control? Americans Increasingly See More Guns as the Solution, Not the
Problem." Washington Post. N.p., 27 July 2015. Web. 28 July 2015. <http%3A%2F

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%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fblogs%2Fthe-fix%2Fwp%2F2015%2F07%2F27%2Fguncontrol-americans-increasingly-see-more-gun%2Fs-as-the-solution-not-the-problem>.
"Summary: President Obama's Gun-Control Proposals." Summary: President Obama Gun Proposals.
N.p., n.d. Web. 28 July 2015. <http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/summarypresident-obama-gun-proposals.aspx>.