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Dominic Pizarro
Professor Sartin
AFRS 100-04
29 October 2013
African Americans Relationship with Gun Control
The recent occurrences of gun violence have caused many Americans to question the
right of the people to keep and bear Arms, as stated in the Second Amendment of the United
States Constitution. In response to public opinion, government officials have proposed stricter
gun laws, aiming to reduce violence and keep guns away from individuals who would use guns
for criminal purposes. Largely affected by gun violence, the African American communitys
voice is rarely heard in the gun control debate an is often misrepresented. Roberto Santiago and
Walter Lowe in CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE: THE BLACK COMMUNITY CANNOT
IGNORE THE GUN CONTROL DEBATE and Adrienne Washington in Blacks and Gun
Control - Be Careful What You Ask For, both argue that the African American community needs
to express great support for gun control due to the firsthand experience of suffering caused by
gun violence. Through their effective and consistent use of logos, ethos, and pathos, Santiago
and Lowe present a stronger argument explaining the relationship between the African American
community and gun violence (Caught in the Crossfire).
Santiago and Lowes article is largely supported by ethos and logos, stating in their first
paragraph that 10,000 black people are killed by guns each year, and for every black person
who dies of a gunshot wound, another seven to ten gunshot victims survive. By supplying the
audience with this statistic, Santiago and Lowe set the tone for the remainder of their argument
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and also establish the problem early in their argument, capturing the audience almost
immediately. Santiago and Lowe continue to supply the audience with facts concerning the
devastation caused by guns in the African American community combined with emotionally
charged phrases and words such as debilitating effects of grief and mentally deranged. The
best use of pathos in the entirety of the article, is when Santiago and Lowe discuss the use of
assault weapons by individuals with mental illnesses:
Every time a nut decides to open up with an AK-47 in a crowded shopping mall or a
schoolyard filled with children, national horror at the idea of assault weapons being
available to private citizens pushes more of such legislation toward enactment.
(Caught in the Crossfire)
Applying to the audiences emotions, Santiago and Lowe instill the harsh image of mass child
deaths in the mind of the audience, expertly using pathos to emphasize the severity of assault
weapons crimes and reiterating the need for greater gun control. Finally, Santiago and Lowe use
ethos to build the credibility of their individual sources, especially with NRA board of directors
member Richard R. Atkinson. Although Atkinsons views may not support Santiago and Lowes
main argument of needing greater gun control, Atkinsons position as a NRA board member
provides validity for the information Santiago and Lowe present regarding opponents of gun
control (Caught in the Crossfire). Santiago and Lowes main points concerning the
establishment of harsh legislation that would restrict handgun ownership and the need for
aggressive gun control in order to promote neighborhood safety, are consistently supported by
Santiago and Lowes effective use of logos and ethos.
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In her article, Washingtons main argument is the need for the African American
community to express their voice in the national gun debate. Washingtons argument relies
heavily on her use of ethos and lacks a balanced use of pathos or logos. By drawing upon quotes
from the founder of Center for Urban Renewal and Education and historian Adam Winkler,
Washington is able to build a large amount of credibility both regarding her sources and her
historical argument concerning the racial undertones in gun control measures. However,
Washington only provides her audience with the statistic that 44 percent of Whites own guns,
[and] 16 of African Americans are armed, followed by the unsupported statement, I suspect
that the number for Blacks is actually higher (Blacks and Gun Control). Washingtons
foundation of credibility built upon the previously mentioned quotes is greatly shaken by her
failure to provide statistical evidence and her unsupported theory of a miscalculation in African
American gun ownership percentages. This lack of logos could have been accounted for by the
use of pathos, however Washington fails to plant any images or emotions in her audiences
minds, therefore failing to develop the necessary connection with her audience and failing to
establish the reason for her argument.
The evident difference in amount of rhetorical appeals used in both articles, establishes
Santiago and Lowes article as the more effective article concerning the delivery of their
argument and presentation of evidence. Santiago and Lowe are able to locate the needed balance
between logos, ethos, and pathos in their article, and by doing so presented a well rounded
argument to their audience; Washington however, was blinded by her overwhelming reliance of
ethos, failing to supply any examples of logos or pathos. The credibility presented in both
articles in essential to any authors argument, but when used as the sole means of rhetorical
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appeal, the argument will most likely falter. Washingtons argument had great potential, but
when compared with Santiago and Lowes article, the differences are greatly apparent.
As with any controversial topic, presenting an argument for either side is a difficult task.
All three writers brought attention to a crucial aspect of the larger topic, gun control, the
individual effect of guns upon one ethnic minority. Gun violence is prevalent in neighborhoods
throughout the United States, however as Santiago and Lowes article stated, neighborhoods with
large populations of ethnic minorities experience greater gun violence; this increase in gun
violence has nothing to do with the the ethnicity of the individuals in these neighborhoods, but
rather their conception regarding guns and the functions of guns. Washington clear addressed the
problem, but failed to provide any solution, whereas Santiago and Lowe systematically presented
statistics, quotes from credible individuals, and emotionally charged words to convince their
audience of their main point. Overall, from the viewpoints of both articles, the African American
community must rise and speak out concerning this large issue affecting all of its members which
threatens their everyday safety.





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Works Cited
Santiago, Roberto, and Walter Lowe Jr. "CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE: THE BLACK
COMMUNITY CANNOT IGNORE THE GUN CONTROL DEBATE." Emerge 09
1990: 36. ProQuest. Web. 28 Oct. 2013 <http://search.proquest.com/docview/
230820019?accountid=10351>.
Washington, Adrienne. "Blacks and Gun Control - be Careful what You Ask for." Afro -
American Red Star: 1. Mar 2013. ProQuest. Web. 28 Oct. 2013 <http://
search.proquest.com/docview/1324373598?accountid=10351>.