The gun industry must follow the steps developed by the car sector and embrace an accountable strategy for gun regulation. In “Our Blind Spot about Guns,” Mr. Nicholas Kristof compares the two industries and highlights how the enacted and implemented automobile regulations have improved traffic safety. Therefore, the author strongly exhibits the significance of adopting immediate actions in the gun industry. Besides, Kristof’s argument indicates that public security must be a priority, and the public should answer the call to fight such a problem in society. Therefore, the comparison between the two industries is a prime opportunity to change the audience’s thinking and perspectives concerning gun control and execute more strict prevention frameworks for future gun events. Imposing more regulations and limits on the ownership and use of guns would help decrease gun-related deaths, as evident in the automobile industry.
The paper predominantly evaluates the disparity between safety laws and regulations on automobiles and guns. For example, Kristof (2014) acknowledges that the automobile sector has made tremendous progress in reducing deaths by utilizing safety protocols like airbags and seatbelts. In contrast, Kristof recognizes that the insubstantial regulations to restrict gun ownership and use have resulted in increased rates of gun-related fatalities. Therefore, the essay seeks to champion more gun regulations to diminish or eliminate gun abuse and violence and the associated costs. Furthermore, the essay will discuss Kristof’s purpose, the evidence used, and the writing strategy supported by valid reasons. Besides, the assignment seeks to provide a personal response to gun regulation and analyze scholarly sources to support the viewpoint. Finally, the essay will capitalize on a debate of the audience, a possible opposition, and a counterargument to the topic.
Kristof creates awareness of the necessity to implement gun regulations like those employed in the automobile sector, which have fostered a micro impact in decreasing automobile-related fatalities. For example, Kristof (2014) reveals that cars and guns each kill at least 30,000 people in America annually. Therefore, Kristof argues that implementing effective and strict laws in the gun industry would assist save lives. Kristof emphasized that compliance with requirements of seatbelts and airbags, widening roads, and reinforcing medians would help decrease deaths. The same intelligence used in regulating the use of care should be applied to guns because both industries are killer agents. The author reminds us that the extensive gun control laws employed in the nineteenth century and the National Rifle Association’s position on reasonable gun control should be revisited to restore sanity in the industry. Therefore, Kristof’s findings show that politicians must be rational concerning gun regulations and enact sensible safety measures similar to the ones imposed to regulate vehicles.
Kristof utilizes a comparative strategy to compare the safety regulations in America with those of the automobile and gun industries. Indeed, the author has used this approach to show that the American government, legislation, and carmakers are responsible for more accountability in gun ownership, applying efforts and seriousness in implementing safety regulations on cars. Furthermore, the author underscores that the authorities did not ban cars because of increased related deaths. Similarly, the same government should not ban guns but must focus on making guns safer for the users and the public to save more lives. Thus, Kristof’s powerful imagery portrays that efficient regulations can be fundamental in reducing fatalities not only on the roads but also in the gun industry. Lobbying and campaigning for effective gun regulations and policies change the audience’s behaviors and perspectives, ultimately saving lives.
I agree with the essay that people and the government have paid no heed to guns. The outcome entails increased rates of gun misuse, violence, and deaths. Furthermore, I support the author’s suggestion of strengthening gun regulations. I have discovered from Kristof’s analysis how the prevalence and incidence of deaths from cars vis-a-vis fatalities from guns support the idea of prompt action. Moreover, the escalating volume of deaths affiliated with gun abuse and violence exemplifies a strong foundation for a far-reaching bundle of measures that should be administered to control gun abuse and gun-related crimes. I discovered that the comparison between the two sectors provides a basis for a change in public behavior and perceptions about guns to help save lives. For instance, a study by Buttrick (2020) shows that gun owners can use them symbolically to address psychological risks to their safety. Many people have the privilege to bear firearms, but some individuals take advantage of this right. Therefore, I believe that promoting gun regulation will foster more control and adherence to the rule of law for the offenders.
“The biggest legal obstacle to gun regulation: State preemption laws, not the Second Amendment” by Blocher (2021) is the supporting source of the gun regulation subject. The article underscores that tighter gun control legislation would result in diminished arm-related deaths and improve public safety. For example, the adoption of preemption laws on gun regulations has created confusion due to the disparity between state and federal laws. The scenario can potentially position law-abiding citizens at the peril of infringing a decree they previously did not understand as they travel either within or outside their states of habitation. Therefore, the laws requiring authorization to purchase a gun were associated with reduced firearm-related fatalities across the American states. The details inform the demand to implement broad gun control statutes, like universal background checks, to decrease deaths occurring from gun abuse and violence and save more lives.
Kristof’s work’s target audiences constitute lawmakers or politicians, gun control rights advocates, and activists fighting against gun abuse and violence. Moreover, possible objections might emerge from the custodians of the Second Amendment rights and those who protest gun control measures. For instance, the defenders will base their ideology on constitutional rights, claiming that any attempts to regulate firearms might be an illegitimate violation of the gun owners’ rights. Besides, the activists of the Second Amendment might reject the appropriateness of gun control measures, citing that they do not mitigate violence and crime but instead make it challenging for individuals exercising their right to bear and keep guns. A counterargument might propose that firearms are essential equipment for self-defense. Finally, compliant, honest, and civilized citizens who possess guns can utilize them to safeguard their lives and property.
In conclusion, Kristof’s bid for responsible and reasonable gun regulations reflects and stands out as a fierce advocacy for enhancing public safety. The narrative “Our Blind Spot About Guns” depicts a comparative strategy regarding regulations in the gun and automobile industry to save lives. Policymakers are called to take immediate actions and policies similar to those executed in the car industry to decrease the increasing levels of gun violence and related deaths. Hence, governments and lawmakers must collaborate in developing a visionary framework to enact and implement strict gun control regulations that are centered on managing uncontrolled ownership and misuse of guns.
Blocher, J. (2021). The biggest legal obstacle to gun regulation: State preemption laws, not the second amendment. American Journal of Public Health, 111(7), 1192-1193. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306325
Buttrick, N. (2020). Protective gun ownership as a coping mechanism. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(4), 835-855. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619898847
Kristof, N. (2014). Our blind spot about guns. The New York Times. Retrieved on March 22, 2024, from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/opinion/nicholas-kristof-our-blind-spot-about-guns.html