Perez-Pena, Richard.
"Problems Plague System to Check Gun Buyers." The New York Times. The
New York Times, 27 July
2015. Web. 3 Sept. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/28/us/problems-riddle-system-to-check-buyers of-guns.html?ref=topics&_r=0>.
Summary: The author of this article aims to show people that
the background check system to purchase guns is a very flawed system. He
believes that the system should be fixed before any other legislation
considering gun laws is created. He uses a multitude of information and data to
put his point across to all types of people. For example he points out that if
the system wasn’t so flawed then the SC church shooting and the LA Theater
shooting could have been prevented. It was proven that both those men did not
fit the guidelines to purchase a gun, but through inadequate record keeping
they obtained weapons. Also he uses hard figures to demonstrate that something
can be done, stating that after the VT massacre federally prohibited buyers
tripled from 2006-2014. The author wrote the article in an effort to make
citizens push for better gun buyer screenings, as a sure fire way to prevent
some people from getting their hands on guns.
Critical Reflection: I believe the author’s audience is as
many citizens across the nation as possible. He is writing for the New York Times,
which is a very well read newspaper, so he must try to appeal to as many people
as possible. Since he is trying to appeal to as many people as possible that
causes him to support his claim from all different perspectives. He adds in
information from prominent gun rights activist the NRA and anti-gun supporters
like the Brady campaign to show that many sides believe that this is a good
start to the solution. Also this writer works with the editors of the NY Times,
so it’s safe to assume that the article was revised so that many people could
relate to it and that the article is written well. This article is much
unbiased compared to other resources that may be trying to argue one side of
the story, such as the Progressive Cynic’s article.
Quotes: “if Mr. Houser had been involuntarily commited in
his state, he could not have passed a background check” (11)
“From 2006 to 2014, the total number of prohibited buyers in
the federal database tripled, to 12.9 million” (17)
“Mr. Roof, who was captured after the Charlestown shooting,
was able to buy a gun because of sloppy record-keeping, officials say” (23)
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