A Rhetorical Review on the Article ‘Don’t Let Kids Play Football’ by Bennet Omalu

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Introduction

In ‘A Good Way to Keep Guns from Predators’, Brent Staples argues whether Gov. Scott should invest his energy in the forceful collection of the guns he gave out to his people to improve the security among the residents. According to Staples, Governor Scott Walker signed a bill that let babies carry guns. However, Scott Walker did not allow one group of people to have guns. There is a 22% lower rate of intimate-partner homicide by gun in states where people are advised to give up their weapons (Staples, 2017). Brent Staples employs three major rhetorical strategies to present his arguments and convey his message to his audiences. This paper will discuss the rhetorical strategies used by the author to communicate to his audience appropriately.

The author claims that Gov Scott Walker signed legislation that requires people placed under a restraining order to be informed that they must turn in any guns they own within forty-eight hours or get arrested. It also established that all firearms held by civilians be confiscated by the authorities as soon as possible. “Gun-relinquishment laws have been enacted with broad support in rural, conservative states like North Dakota and Tennessee, along with swing states like Pennsylvania and Colorado” (Staples, 2017). It was meant to reduce the number of weapons in the public because it put humanity in a vulnerable position. The Governor’s target was to reduce or eliminate domestic abuse in the community. Limiting gun ownership allows the state to protect victims or potential victims of domestic abuse from traumatizing events or, in extreme cases, loss of lives. It prevents fatal consequences of domestic abuse among intimate couples.

Investigations conducted by judges, clerks, prosecutors, and police officials following a push from the King County officials revealed that few offenders returned their firearms to the legal authorities despite the increase in domestic violence cases reported and handled in civil courts. Statistics in 2016 showed that only 52 individuals out of 865 returned their guns to the authorities (Staples, 2017). These statistics open a discussion on whether firearms are the leading cause of domestic violence between intimate partners. With or without guns, many families in the state use aggressive strategies to resolve issues, which is unhealthy and quite risky for the partners involved and their families. Washington State legislators prioritized disarming high-risk abusers as a new strategy of confiscating weapons from society and creating a neutral and safe environment for all citizens.

The second strategy suggested by the author is the toughening of federal law that requires the abusers accused of domestic violence to return their guns. The author believes this approach would enable the United States federal team to protect families and the entire population, for that matter. Law enforcement agencies collected 20% as many firearms as collected in the previous year after piloting the policy for six days (Staples, 2017). The success of toughening federal laws prompted the state to employ more staff members to facilitate the reclaiming of firearms from the public especially domestic violence abusers. Like drug abuse, firearms ownership by the citizens affects their public health. The presence of guns in the community threatens the existence of individuals, hence influencing their day-to-day decisions in America. In communities where guns and violence are reported frequently, people tend to live in fear and uncertainty, thus being more cautious and adopting survival tactics that would keep them safe amidst violence. On the other hand, neutral and safe communities live quite freely and comfortably as their safe spaces assure their safety from abusers and reckless unruly firearm owners.

King County, Washington, developed a new and effective strategy to facilitate firearms recovery from the public, particularly domestic violence offenders and high-risk abusers. According to Staples, any legislation must address the Fifth Amendment stipulation that no person should be a witness against himself. To recover as many guns as possible from the public, especially those distributed illegally in the black market, all parties and players society included should cooperate and ensure all criminals and abusers are disarmed and punished according to the law. Staples strongly argues that the community and social media also played a vital role in disarming abusers and keeping America safe. Community members interact and depend on each other in different ways in their day-to-day activities. For this reason, it’s easier for them to identify firearms abusers or domestic violence offenders amongst them and their whereabouts. Working hand in hand with the authorities and providing relevant information that could pin or incriminate the abusers in society can help reduce illegal firearms ownership and ensure the safety of many Americans.

Social media also contributes heavily to the fight against firearms abuse by owners. Legal authorities use social media platforms to facilitate their search of abusers and consequent weapons recovery and arrest of the respective abusers. They keep close tabs on abusers and domestic violence offenders and keep track records of their activities and engagements (Staples, 2017). The information collected is then evaluated to determine if they have firearms. The authorities then move on them, disarm them and arrest them accordingly. The state also used various databases to find clues on whether targeted offenders owned guns and their hiding places. Together with statements from victims and witnesses of domestic violence, these databases provide sufficient and incriminating evidence against abusers and their illegal gun ownership.

Conclusion

It is undeniable that the availability of guns to the public, especially domestic violence offenders, is very risky to intimate partners, their families, and friends. The recovery of firearms proves difficult because it is hard to determine if an abuser owns guns. Weapons fall off the system daily, and the authorities cannot account for such losses. The state, through the legal system, should revisit its policies and develop new strategies that will help control the issuing of firearms within the system before dealing with the external problem. There is a need to identify the loopholes through which guns slip to abusers and seal them completely to restore and assure safety for its people.

Reference

Staples, B., 2017. Opinion | A Good Way to Keep Guns from Predators (Published 2017). [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/19/opinion/restraining-order-guns.html> [Accessed 14 February 2022].