In the essay shootings by Adam Gopnik, it discusses the incident of a mass shooting that took place in Virginia Tech in the year 2007 where the lone gunman killed more than 32 people before committing suicide (Gopnik). The incident at Virginia Tech is among a continuum of events which have taken place in the United States, and it highlights some of the concerns raised about gun enforcement in the country. In reading the essay, it is evident that Adam Gopnik was trying to pass across some ideas which include.
First, the author expounds on the various approaches adopted across the world. However, while the rest of the world analyses the instances of gun violence, the American society primary focus is on those factors leading to the incident. Second, the American government has come up with factors which predispose them to the mass shooting and this include; mental illness, narcissism, and pressure on students. However, rather than come up with better regulations which prevent the easy access of guns by this groups of people like has happened in other countries such as Canada, the US exhibits a reluctance.
The author of the essay uses simple language that is easy to relate and understand. However, in some few instances, I had to look up some few words in the dictionary, and these words include; N.R.A, narcissism, and Glocks and Walthers.
After reading the essay, I realized that the author had articulated his ideas succinctly as such this made it easy for me to relate to the ideas.
Notably, there is a need for the American society to come up with a better approach which makes laws about firearms acquisitions strict. Arguably, in countries like Canada and Britain where there are restrictions on the mode of purchase of guns, they have reduced instances of mass shootings and this is despite experiencing instances of gun violence. Further, the US society focuses on the social issues which predispose the US citizens to such occurrences rather than come up with effective measures that reduce or stop gun violence. In my perspective, Gopnik has expounded why the US society needs a comprehensive solution to end gun violence.
Rereading
The author achieves his purpose by comparing the approaches adopted by the different countries to curb gun violence by lone shooters. For instance, in Dunblane, Scotland, in 1996, after a lone gunman killed school children, the British gun laws were tightened (Gopnik). Presently, it is against the British gun laws to use the type of guns used by the gunman at Virginia Tech. By comparing the British approach and the US approach, the author passes his ideas on the method the US needs to adapt to curb killings. However, in giving his proposition on the proactive measures that the US should choose, the author makes several assumptions that the gun laws in Britain and Canada are similar to those in the US. For the US to achieve the same kind of sanity then, it needs to scrap the 2nd amendment. Indeed, the author impressively outlines his issues and this makes the reader grasp every detail and analyze all the issues affecting the American society critically. In sum, Gopnik has captured all that needs to be done by the US government to end the spate of gun violence.
Outline for a Critical Review Essay
Argument
In the essay, the author Gopnik highlights the issue of mass shootings by discussing an incident that took place at Virginia Tech. While this is not an isolated incidence, Gopnik uses this specific occurrence to investigate the reason why America more than any other nation in the world experiences gun violence. The author discusses all the factors predisposing the US to gun violence, and this forces their reader to broaden their scope of thinking on the issue at hand.
Facts and Opinions
From the essay, it is not evident whether Gopnik has ever had an experience with firearms. However, an analysis of the article reveals that Gopnik does not have an issue with guns but on the hands which the guns land. The author also holds that while amending the laws in place might not end gun violence, it can reduce the frequency with which such occurrences take place.
Assumptions/Hidden Assumptions and Inferences
Some of the assumptions adopted by the author are the two instances of gun violence in Britain and Canada, which the author uses to come to his conclusion on the highlighted issues.
Inductive Arguments
A closer look at the essay indicates that Gopnik adopts inductive arguments as he has used examples of other nations to build his ideas. Further, the author has referred to the past incidences that took place in the US and the actions taken to conclude that the US should adopt better gun laws.
Evaluating Premises
The author uses factual claims which are verifiable to support his arguments. The use of well-documented and researched work to generate an informed approach towards the issue of firearms in the US makes the argument valid and robust. Moreover, the author has studied such topics as the availability of guns in society, and he has in a correct manner offered arguments on the requirements to experience lasting solutions in the US.
Relevance
The topic highlighted by the author is relevant as mass shootings and the availability of firearms are pervasive issues in US society. Of importance, the American government has not given the above problems the necessary attention.
Evaluating the Relationships between Premises and Conclusions
In assessing the relationship between the premise and conclusion, it is evident that there does not exist a strong correlation between the conclusion and the key arguments in the essay as the end presents new arguments. Evidently, the author should have summarized the approaches that the US needs to adapt and make it more related to the key arguments in the essay. In the current article, the author, Gopnik, has not pointed them out clearly.
Evaluating Language
The author uses clear and easy to understand language to highlight his arguments.
Fallacies
After a close analysis of Gopnik's work, it is hard to encounter any significant fallacies. Notably, the extent of his work targeted only a small issue affecting the society whereby he highlighted just the necessary matters.
Rough Draft
In the United States of America, people who always want to kill many other people often do that with guns. While the US is among the most developed nations in the world, this does not prevent it from being affected by social issues such as public mass shooting. The number of deaths experienced in the US because of mass shootings is higher compared to other nations such as Britain and Canada. In the essay Shootings (2007), the author Adam Gopnik has highlighted the issue of mass shootings and has also discussed the various legal and social factors leading to the incident that took place at Virginia Tech. In this particular occasion, the shooter killed 32 students before committing suicide (Gopnik). The author has also presented an approach that the US should adapt to curb the recurrent issue of gun violence. However, from the essay, it is evident that the leadership has not taken a proactive approach because there have been several incidents of mass shootings that have taken place in the US (Gopnik). As a result, the lack of broader approach by the lawmakers and the society to come up with measures aimed at restricting the availability of firearms makes mass shooting a significant issue.
On the one hand, countries like Britain and Canada have put in place measures which have reduced the instances of gun violence in their society. However, the American society only discusses those social issues which predispose the perpetrators of this vice rather than take affirmative actions geared towards amending the laws regulating gun ownership (Gopnik). The author has researched the US society and ascertained all the steps that lawmakers need to adapt to solve this gun problem. In such a way the author, Gopnik, has achieved to pass across his message not only rhetorically, but in a way which expounds the need for the US to prioritize the issue of gun violence.
Work Cited
Gopnik, Adam. Shootings. New Yorker. 2007, April 30.
