Mary Stewart
Professor Suzanne Wendell
English Comp 1001
7 September 2014
Text in Action Essay-Draft
Kenneth Bennight: Guns are Designed to Kill
In the article, Mr. Bennight writes of what gun controllers argue and what gun-rights defenders sometime argue about. The gun controller say, “Guns are uniquely are designed to kill, they say, and therefore lack the utility of other dangerous things.”… “Gun-rights defenders sometimes argue that guns have innocent uses such as hunting and target-shooting.” (K. Bennight) He also brings to the article our Second Amendment right to bear arms for defence and freedom of opression as well as hunting which some people use for food and some for a hobby. Ultimately if we are to maintain our freedom from anyone trying to opress our boarders as the British did to our founding fathers Bennight writes, “If we wish to retain our freedoms, we must retain that ability.” (K. Bennight)
In the beginning of the article I was getting a message of guns are only meant for killing we should not have them as though he was siding with the gun control groups. He referred to a gun as a toy for gun-rights defenders because its first function for a gun is to kill. As I read further he said it did not make it right for the gun control group as well. Bennight refers to our, “Self-defense is a natural right of all persons, not limited to no-lethal force.” (K. Bennight) When gun controllers try to limit the amount of ammunition or use of fire arms how would we protect ourselves if we have to wait for law enforcement or military to protect us when we have a right to defend ourselves.
He basically tells the gun control groups if we like our freedom we need to stop seeing each other as a threat. Quoting Thomas Jefferson, “Thomas Jefferson warned that retaining liberty may sometimes require spilling “the blood of patriots and tyrants.” (K. Bennight) Bennight is trying to convince the gun controllers where there is liberty at stake we must defend it at all costs, even with our lives.
Clearly Mr. Bennight is on the side of liberty not necessarily gun control or gun-rights. Mr. Bennight defense of liberty is another angle that doesn’t necessarily make him a gun-right’s activist but let’s just be able to protect ourselves in the event of our boarders being attacked. Being able to protect yourself or your family has always been a Second Amendment right to bear arms or use guns as a way of protection least someone could over throw our freedom as American citizens. The controllers group wouldn’t want to limit government agencies or military due to gun control regulations and legislation this may hinder our freedom to exist and other possible invaders try to overtake our freedom.
In the beginning of the article Mr. Bennight was using ethos, “the appeal to the character of the speaker/writer.” (Ramage,J.; Bean, J.; Johnson, J.) Bennight wrote about the different sides of gun control and gun-rights defense writing about each argument on guns. I say ethos because he wrote what each side considered their truth about each other.
Mr. Bennight appeals to both the gun controllers and the gun defenders by using our sense of freedom needing to be protected. Stating, “The ability to kill is itself the
