Trevor's Reflection of the project

My Thoughts on the Guest Speaker

by Trevor Harwood

When the guest speaker came in the other day to talk about his opinions on gun control, the whole process came together. First the anticipation of him coming was a challenge. We had contacted him to come but did not hear from him that day. I was very nervous that he was not going to come and we were going to get stuck with no presentation. When he arrived at 1220, I was so relieved. He was a very good speaker and I think that all of the students including myself learned something new about the debate on gun control. Something that I would change in this presentation is to give the students more time to fill out their questions for the police officer. The students only had at most ten minutes at the beginning to fill out some question. An idea to make sure more time is granted is to send the paper home with the students for homework to bring in the next day. This way the students have the entire night to think about questions that they wanted to ask. Another way to allow more time for questions is to do a quick lesson the day before and have them fill out the handout so that they are ready for the next day. This is just one thing that I would change in our presentation.

The pace of the speaker went extremely well. He was able to give a brief introduction and then answer student’s questions to his best ability. He spoke for about twenty minutes but the time never seemed to be boring. Captain Riggs had a lot of good ideas and it seemed like the students were engaged the whole time. This is exactly what a teacher wants in a guest speaker presentation. Another aspect that went well was the discussion at the end. Although, it was started impromptu, I thought a lot of good ideas came out of it. Students had many opinions and wanted to talk to the class about the issues. They wanted to know what laws changes needed to be made to decrease the chance of a mass shooting. This is exactly what I wanted as a teacher because it promotes curiosity. Students will hopefully go back home and research what they wanted to know about gun control/safety and form an opinion on the current event.

Through this process, I learned that having a guest speaker in your classroom is a hard thing to do. As the teacher you must meet with the speaker beforehand so there is n confusion on topic or date of presentation. I wish we had sat down with Captain Riggs before hand to talk about how we wanted the presentation to go so that he was aware of the process. I learned that there are many different views on gun control and that even Captain Riggs of the Salem State Police does not know the answer to the problem. I learned that time is crucial to student involvement in the lesson because then they will have time to really get comfortable and engaged. The students in this classroom were very respectful to the guest speaker which was beneficial to the pace of the presentation. Lastly, I learned that when a teacher has a guest speaker, the teacher should send a thank you note and buy the person a little gift to show your appreciation. This may sound simple but it goes a long way in showing our appreciation. Overall, I felt really good about how this presentation went.

 

Overall Current Event Reflection

This current event project was helpful in making me more aware of the issues that go along with gun control. One of the great things about this project was that it was a group project. I liked working with Lauren and Jessica because I was able to get other perspectives on the debate with their interviews and take actions. I was able to research this topic numerous times and with a growing number of these cases it is becoming a prominent issue in the United States. I think that I am more interested in the news because of this project. Gun control will always be an issue and I think that knowing what I know now, I will be better educated when it comes to the news. Before this project I did not know what the laws were and what the debate of gun control was about. I thought it was just should we have guns or not, but I was completely uninformed. Now that I have worked on this topic this semester I will be able to form an opinion on the issue and debate with others. I think that I am on my way to becoming an Active Citizen but I have a ways to go. This is because I am only educated on one issue and there are a lot more topics that I must become aware of to be an active citizen. This current event project made me from a citizen who just focuses on sports news to someone who is becoming more aware of the world around him.

Jessica's Take Action

Jessica's Ideas
The debate on Gun Control is very important to me. There are far too many people are being killed. When I first began to think about gun laws I was very confused. I knew Gun Control was something that was very important to me, but I questioned myself, "how could a small town girl make an impact on Gun Control?"
At my University I serve as a Senator on Student Govenment Association (SGA). In the last few years when Gun Control became an important topic in the country, after more and more mass shootings were occuring, SGA decided to make sure the voices of our campus community would be heard. The organization as a whole was unable to take a stand on this issues because we have to remain neutral. As a organization we decided to have postcards where members of the University would be able to write to their elected officals about why there should be Gun Control Laws or why not? On certain days I would sit at a table in different areas of campus and encourage students to write a postcard. By encouraging students in the campus community to write postcards it showed me the importance of how one person may not be able to make a difference, but when we come to together to take a stand it makes all the difference in the world.
As time passes and there are still issues occring in the country as a result of gun violence I think it would be a great idea to bring this idea of having students write postcards to elected officals. In doing this it shows that gun violence is a topic that is very important.

Trevor's Take Action

Trevor's Ideas on Taking Action

November 5,2013 When I first thought about how I would take action on this topic, I was overwhelmed. Here I was a student in college and had to educate many people on why gun control should be enforced. I started to research ways that I could take action and here's what I came up with. The first move I could make is right a letter that is persuading the local or federal government. In the letter I could tell them why I think that the gun control laws need to be more strict. After writing the letter I could send it to the Senator or another important official to speak my mind on the subject. This is something that might not help educate people about the issue but the letter could present the officials with some evidence to why they want to go one way on the issue. Another way that I could take action is through a petition. Now we hear about petitions all the time for things but many petitions do not exactly work out. I think that a petition would work in this case to send in with a letter t the senator and raise awareness to the people signing it on how the gun control laws should be. Another way that I could take action is going to local officials and planning an event that is scheduled. on this day, people could take action and raise awareness through guest speakers and handouts. It would be called National Gun Control Day. The last idea that I came up with in order to take action on gun control during my research was joining the Brady campaign to prevent gun violence. This group was founded by people who were directly effected by gun violence. On their website you can sign a petition and get information about gun violence and how to minimize it. These are just a couple of ideas on how to take action when it comes to Gun Control.
For my take action that I actually did I signed the petition on the Brady Campaign website which is http://www.bradycampaign.org/?q=take-action. It felt good to finally take a stand on what I believed in and make a difference in society. I have always been for strict gun control because I believe that violence with guns is happening more and more and I want it to be limited. It made me feel proud to sign the petition because I was part of a group that believed in strict gun control laws.
  Social Justice is a controversial topic to be taught in school. I believe that social justice can be taught in school if the proper best practices are used. I think that there are some touchy issues that should not be covered but as you move up in grade the students should be presented with more pressing issues. I also believe that in order to teach social justice students need to be mature to learn it and I think that fifth grade may be a good introductory start. This quote:…“Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies”. I think that this is true to a point. Students need to learn social justice to be a well informed citizen and this should be taught in Social Studies. Like I was saying before, the age of the children need to be mature to start teaching about certain topics but if we want a society that is educated on the topics we need to inform children earlier in their life. I think that there are so many people that grow up and are not educated on what's happening in the world. This is not good because people who are not educated on social justice are not informed citizens. As much as social justice is controversial, it is important that teachers instruct their students about the issues so they are better informed.

Post 3- Concept Map on Gun Control

 

 

Some Websites around Gun Control and Violence

 

http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/gun-violence/

 

http://www.wearebetterthanthis.org/

 

http://www.bradycampaign.org/?q=take-action

 

http://government.brevardtimes.com/2013/01/obamas-gun-control-facts-and-statistics.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



INTERVIEWS

Laurens Interview:

Problem: Should there be gun control?

Rich: councilman in Everett

Is this a problem you think is important?  Why/ Why not?” Yes because violence is at an all time high and guns unfortunately fall into the wrong hands.  More often than not, guns have a tragic outcome. 

Do you think others in our community this is an important problem? why/ why not? I’m sure they do, but I’m sure a lot of people own guns who don’t have a license, for the most part teens. 

What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem? It shouldn’t be as easy as walking upstairs to your fathers drawer and taking his gun.  Guns are too easy to obtain and there should be a longer process to go through before you can carry.

What are advantages of this policy? It would be harder for mentally unstable people to purchase a gun.  It would make sure that the people who do carry, are responsible and have them for the correct reasons.

What are disadvantages of this policy? none for me, but I am sure people who are all for guns won’t be happy to hear this.  I do not think anyone needs to carry a gun. 

How might the policy be improved?  A way to keep everyone happy would be to just make it harder to buy a gun and become licensed to carry.  For the people who do carry guns with the appropriate license, it should not be a problem for them or any reason for them to be mad at this.

Does the policy need to be replaced?  why? Yes, look what keeps happening? It is becoming not safe anywhere and something drastic needs to be done.  Everyone should be on board with this.

After doing this interview, I was happy to see that myself and my interviewee were in agreement with a tighter control on guns.  It is such a difficult subject to explain and the interview process was great.  I learned that everyone is going to have their own views and their own personal reasoning for believing so.  This is a touchy subject and the interview was a great way to get someones real opinion where they did not feel pressured to answer in any certain way.

Jessica's Interview:

Problem: Should there be gun control?

Joe, college student

Is this a problem you think is important? Why or why not?

Yes, gun control should be in effect because there are too many people unqualified to have guns.

Do you think others in our community this is an important problem? Why or why not?

Yes, both sides there are a lot of problems. Consider what is going on with school shootings. It is a very controversial topic.

What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem?

The government should enact laws at the federal level so that less people are able to get guns and have safety checks each year.

What are the advantages of this policy?

Based on laws, there possibly might be less people that have mental illness gaining access to guns. It would not eliminate school shootings altogether, but limit them.

How might this policy be improved?

If people looked at the statistics and facts, they might realize that gun control is a good thing.

No one needs powerful guns when going about their daily lives.

I thought that it was interesting to hear the opinions of someone who believes the same things as I do. I thought because of this, it made it much easier to ask questions without the fear of differing opinions. I liked how Joe had mentioned that certain guns are not necessary in daily life. After all who needs these guns on a daily basis?

Trevor's Interview on Gun Control

Should There Be Gun Control?

 Person in the Interview: Greg College Student and my friend

 Question 1- Is Gun Control a Problem that you think is important to society? Why or Why not?

Response- I think it is a problem and it is important because it affects the safety of a lot of people. If there was more gun control I feel like there would be less shooting deaths. It would be more difficult for mentally unstable people to get guns to go on shooting sprees.

Question 2- Do you think that other citizens in the community think gun control is an important issue in society? Why or why not.

Response- I would hope most people would feel the same way, especially with recent events of people breaking down mentally and killing a lot of innocent people with guns. I know a lot of people like "The American Freedom" to be able to have guns on them and in their own homes.

Question 3- What do you know about the policies that are in place for the issue of gun control?

Response- As of right now I think it is fairly easy to get a gun. I could go take a safety course for the day and get a license. I know they want to change it so there is more of an extensive background check to be able to get a license, which I agree with.

Question 4- What disagreements, if any, about the policy exist in this community?

Response- I disagree with how easy it is to get a license right now. I could go get a license today if I wanted to. They don't check for mental background or if they have a past of violence.

Question 5- How might the policy be improved?

Response- If they make it more detailed process into the person's life. Either more of a mental background check or history of violence. Possibly make the license course longer with more emphasis on safety with a weapon in a community..

Question 6- What is your belief on this issue: If you were congress and the voting depending on you what would you vote for according to gun policies?

Response- I would vote for more strict gun control. I think it is an ongoing problem in the society today. especially were they make such huge deals about these tragic shootings on the news, people who are mentally unstable see the news and want to do the same thing or get these ideas from what they see. So i think there should be more laws restricting who can get guns, what type of guns you can get, and how you get the license.


Reflection
I learned a lot about Greg’s character in the interview. I learned that he has some background knowledge and seems to have a good handle on knowing how to improve the system of gun control. I also found out that I totally agree with Greg on this subject. When he says that there are a lot of crazy people out there he is correct. I would have never had this conversation with Greg if it was not for this assignment. This was interesting to hear what another person thinks.

 

Introduction to Gun Control

Hello. This blog will to your go to spot for discussion about gun control in the United States. As future educators, we want to learn more about this topic and make it accessible to people who want to be better informed. We are all students at Salem State University majoring in elementary education. For our class, we were asked to create a blog on a current event that we wanted to learn more about. We all chose gun control and the second ammendment. People debate whether guns should be legal to carry. The second ammendment says "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." We are going to list some of the pro and cons of each side to educate the readers abotu the topic.
THERE IS ALWAYS TWO SIDES TO A STORY: Should civilian possession of handguns and other non-hunting guns be banned or severely restricted?
1. For the banning of guns
2. Against the banning of guns
WHAT SIDE ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ON THIS ISSUE?

What are some reasons why people argue for banning or monitoring of guns in the united states?
1. The second ammendment states that a person has the right to bear arms and this is from the constitution and the foounding fathers.
2. Banning guns could mean a loss of protection from important forces such as the police.
3. Guns are used as a mechanism for self defense sometimes
4. Criminals will always find a way to find guns so why not monitor who is getting guns better.

What are some reasons why people are against the banning of guns in the United States?
1. Most violent crimes and mass murders are committed by guns (Columbine and Newtown)
 2. Suicides and crimes that result in emotion are rising due to the easy access of guns.
3. The second ammendment was targeted towards the army and not civilians.
4. Increases the possibility of guns falling into the hands of children.

Link to some useful inforamtion about the banning of guns and both arguments: http://www.balancedpolitics.org/gun_control.htm

GOVERNMENT BRANCH INVOLVED IN THE POLICIES ARE THE NATIONAL AND STATE. National branch deals with the logistics and the state has to deal with who gets a license to carry on.

Our views on Gun Control

Trevor's View on Gun Control
 I am Trevor and i currently believe that the government should make it harder for people to obtain a gun. I know that the second ammendment says that people have the right to bear arms but i think that times have changed since that time period. We are living in a stressful environment where people are busy at all times and struggle with coping with stress. I think that if the government and states make it harder to obtain guns the crime related to guns will decrease. Recently the amount of violence involving guns have increased and i think that limiting people from getting a gun would eliminate this. Some examples of these violent scenes that involved guns were Columbine in 1999, Virginia Tech Shooting in 2007, Newtown Elementary school shooting in 2012 and the Navy Yard happening in this year. These events were the major events involving guns and killing many people. I was personally effected in the Newtown Shooting because of my participation in karate. We have partner studios out in Conneticut and they were close to the place where it happened. Someone might argue that people need guns for sporting and hunting but i think that there should be a separate law for these people. I agree with putting strict background checks on people trying to obtain guns because it will ensure that the wrong people are not getting guns legally. I know guns will never be eliminated from the United States but i think that if government can make stricter laws regarding this, it might prevent a tragedy like any of the ones that i mentioned to happen.

Lauren's View on Gun Control
I believe that people should have to go through a more difficult system in order to obtain a gun.  I do believe people have the right to bear arms, I just believe there is a different way to make sure people are purchasing guns for safe reasons.  Having a gun to use as protection or any precautionary reason, is ok.  Unfortunately, the guns are seeming to fall into the hands of the wrong people.  Violence is at an all time high and after a tragedy, it is all too often that the news breaks about the suspect purchasing a gun days before at a local Wal-Mart.  It is too easy to get a hold of a gun. Stricter laws will allow people to still have their right to bear arms for hunting, safety, etc., but it may stop criminals and mass shootings.  Having a stricter law against guns is only going to help people.  The people who do not believe there should be stricter gun laws, are not thinking about the big picture.  The rights can still remain, just done in a more thorough way.

Jessica's View on Gun Control
I feel gun control is important because of the increasing numbers of people that are being killed due to gun violence. In some cases guns are needed, such as police, military, but mentally unstable people are gaining access to powerful guns along with large numbers of ammunition. Although there is no way to stop someone from getting clearance, purchasing a gun, then something happens in their life that makes them mentally unstable then guns down innocent people. I understand the reason that some politicians are not willing to pass gun controls laws because of the second amendment. These gun control laws are not trying to take away these rights but rather limit assault rifles being purchased as well as large numbers of ammunition. Too many innocent people are being killed. As a future educator something needs to be done because innocent students sitting in their classrooms should not be gunned down as well as other people who go about their daily lives.