Gun control thesis statement.

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Rookie

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    14   0   0
    Sep 22, 2008
    18,155
    113
    Kokomo
    "People want to believe gun control will reduce crime, but the truth is that gun control will never work."

    This is my daughter's thesis statement for her college course. This is the teacher's reply...


    "How do you know gun control will NEVER work? You can't. So that is not a factual statement, instead one for a persuasive essay."

    This is her reply to the teacher...

    "History has shown that gun control will never work. Hitler tried it with Germany. England has tried it, Australia has tried it, and they have all been failures."

    What say you? Is it a thesis statement or an opening for a persuasive essay?







     

    antsi

    Expert
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Nov 6, 2008
    1,427
    38
    I'm not sure what the teacher is getting at with the distinciton between a thesis statement and a persuasive essay. It would be pretty pointless to have a thesis statement that is an already proven indisputable fact. The whole point of these exercises, I believe, is to make a statement that is controversial or unproven, then provide evidence to support it.

    That said, I'm not sure "gun control will never work" is the best way to frame the debate in an academic exercise. It's very global and expansive, and is thus very difficult to support/defend. Something along the lines of "renewing the federal assault weapons ban would not decrease US violent crime rates" would be a lot more specific and hence lead to a more focused discussion.

    The interchange between your daughter and the teacher is an example of this. Daughter is essentially arguing, "Gun control didn't work in Nazi Germany, the UK, or Australia. Therefore it will never work." For the purposes of a logic class, where you are supposed to be making strong, precise arguments, that's a huge leap from the premise to the conclusion.

    Done well, these kind of academic exercises are intended to teach students to be very precise in their statements and in their reasoning. What your daughter did - citing three examples of failure, then jumping to the conclusion of infinite failure for time and all eternity, is a bit sloppy.

    I agree with her sentiments, but if I were her teacher I'd be trying to get her to formulate her arguments with greater precision.
     
    Last edited:

    SigSense

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Nov 30, 2008
    389
    16
    Louisville, KY
    I've crafted a few thesis statements in my day, and in the spirit of academic honesty, your daughter's statement is weak. But WE can help her! Especially with a paper on Gun Control.

    How do you tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One?

    A strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand.

    Remember that her thesis needs to show the conclusions about a subject. For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate. Here are two thesis statements:

    "There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement."

    This is a weak thesis statement. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase negative and positive aspects is vague.

    "Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers."

    This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand, and because it's specific.

    Creating a working thesis for an essay on gun control might entail several revisions. Suppose a writer starts out with the following thesis statement:

    "The best way to have stricter gun control is to make it harder to get guns.”

    This is a decent start. It has some focus in relation to the broad topic of gun control -- make it harder to get guns -- and its idea is clearly stated. However, it is somewhat vague and could use more specific information. A better thesis statement might be:

    "The best way to have stricter gun control is to have more thorough background checks of those people who wish to buy guns."

    The above thesis statement is more focused than the first, but an even better one would be:

    "Gun control must be made stricter through more thorough criminal background checks and probing interviews of people buying guns, thus preventing gun purchases by those with criminal records or less than good intent."

    This last revision of the thesis statement is quite specific -- a reader would know the attitude of the writer towards this topic (“must” implies that the writer is pro gun control), that criminal background checks as well as in-depth interviews will be discussed as methods to make gun control stricter, and that the result of these methods will be to prevent people with criminal records and possible bad intentions from buying guns.

    How about this for her thesis statement:

    "No legitimate study in the US has ever shown that gun control has any positive Impact on crime"

    The rather anti-gun Center for Disease Control did a three year long study and couldn't show that after nearly 70 years of gun control that it has had any effect on reducing crime. You can find this study and many more for supporting references etc.
     

    rambone

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Mar 3, 2009
    18,745
    83
    'Merica
    There was no such thing as crime until guns were invented.

    "Gun control must be made stricter through more thorough criminal background checks and probing interviews of people buying guns, thus preventing gun purchases by those with criminal records or less than good intent."
    I'd stray away from making an argument like this because it invites more intrusion that (presumably) we gun owners are against. IMHO
     
    Last edited:

    jblomenberg16

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    67   0   0
    Mar 13, 2008
    9,920
    63
    Southern Indiana
    Yeah, need to know the class. I think like SigSense and Antsi have mentioned, as it stands, it is purely her opinion, and will result in a war of the words between here and the prof. (who by the way may be pro 2A, and just trying to make sure the thesis is done correctly).

    Emotions and opinions will be debated for the rest of time. But when facts and data are used, they are difficult to refute.
     

    Fletch

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jun 19, 2008
    6,379
    48
    Oklahoma
    It might help her to look at Japan. Japan has actually had a fair amount of success with gun control, though it's been shown that this is likely cultural and demographic rather than the result of policy. It never hurts to look at the opposition's strongest case rather than its weakest, and Japan is definitely one of the best examples of gun control "working".
     

    jmiller676

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 16, 2009
    3,882
    38
    18 feet up
    I can see where the teacher is coming from though. If it is a research paper (bare with me I haven't read all replies) then what is suppose to be researched is factual (meaning proven with all variables) that it does not work. I.E. zero guns left on planet earth would reduce gun crimes right? However coming from the logical side and learning from history we all agree (at least people with common sense) that gun control has not and will never work. Please don't flame, just trying to look at this from a teachers point of view, however, if I was a teacher she would get an A+ just from the thesis. :D
     

    jmiller676

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 16, 2009
    3,882
    38
    18 feet up
    I'll add this too, to make it a thesis she should say something like..."In my thorough research of gun control and it's impact on history, I believe that gun control will never work." Then she has a counter point to a topic of gun control then follow the counter point up with her point to basically. --counter the counter point-- Example.

    "Gun control in the past has thought to have been a great way to reduce crime in communities." She gives examples of why, basically going along with the argument. Then she comes back in the next paragraph and hits with "Although some believe that gun control will reduce crime it is the exact opposite." And provides statistics and what history has taught us. The first paragraph to each point is a lead to the point you're going to make in the next paragraph.

    Don't be afraid to P.M. me with more q's. :) Just trying to help.
     

    jmiller676

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 16, 2009
    3,882
    38
    18 feet up
    Even being an effective essay writing class, using a research paper type setup would be a huge help, not just to her grade but, to make her points clear.
     

    Rookie

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    14   0   0
    Sep 22, 2008
    18,155
    113
    Kokomo
    How about...

    A lot of people think that gun control can reduce crime, but studies have shown that gun control results in increased crime rates.
     

    jmiller676

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 16, 2009
    3,882
    38
    18 feet up
    How about...

    A lot of people think that gun control can reduce crime, but studies have shown that gun control results in increased crime rates.

    That can work too, Once you get the thesis and the main points of your essay, it's all about filling in the spaces though. What is really hard is trying not to put her opinions in it. The best essay that is going to change someones mind isn't a persuasive essay, but a well written essay that shoes the facts and statistics of one side to the other.
     

    Leah Marie

    Expert
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 10, 2009
    1,477
    36
    K-Town
    "A lot of people think that gun control can reduce crime, but studies have shown that gun control results in increased crime rates. "

    I am going to use this thesis statment and thank you everyone for helping me :)
    Now I have to do my outline and References page...
     

    antsi

    Expert
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Nov 6, 2008
    1,427
    38
    Just one other caution:

    Have at least a cursory look at the studies you intend to cite to be sure you can back up your statement.

    The CDC study mentioned previously doesn't actually say what you're saying. The CDC's study essentially said there was no evidence that gun laws had any influence on crime rates. They did not conclude "gun control increases crime." Their conclusion was more along the lines of "there is no evidence that gun control decreases crime rates."

    This may seem like a minor distinction, but again, you're probably going to be graded on clarity and how well you back up what you claim. If you claim one thing, then prove something slightly different, you're probably going to get graded down for that.

    The way you're phrasing your thesis statement may be hard to support. I'm not aware of any published study that actually concluded that gun control laws increase crime rates.
     
    Last edited:

    jmiller676

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 16, 2009
    3,882
    38
    18 feet up
    Have fun. Been there, done that, never going back. :D Just remember no matte how passionate you are about a topic, putting personal opinions in there with out documented facts will only hurt you unless its a persuasive essay. Teachers are suppose to be non-biased (yeah right!) and look at the facts presented and the way the paper is laid out and how well written it is. Good luck Leah!
     
    Top Bottom