Running head: GUNS EVERYWHERE?

Guns everywhere?

Fernando Ramirez

University of Texas at El Paso

English 1302: Rhetoric and Writing Studies

GUNS EVERYWHERE? 2

Genre Analysis Outline

In today's world owning a gun is easier than many people think the requirements are very

simple to meet, basically paying for the weapon comes to be the hard part of the transaction and

most of the people buy their guns at their local store or sporting goods. There is no limit of

weapons that a person can buy but, there is a limit up to where they can take them, Universities

was one of them and now people are free to carry their guns throughout campus without a

problem.

It is easy for a person to get a gun, in fact, according to a research made by FACTTANK, a 37%

of Americans own a gun, that means that out of 323.1 million of people that live in the United

States only 119.947 million own a gun, less than 50% of the United States population. On

August the first, the law S.B. 11 became effective allowing the people to be able to carry guns on

the campuses and other certain locations associated with institutions that offer higher education

level. Behind the law there were people that were fighting for it and against it, the people that

were for it argue that the only way they can feel safe was with a gun with them or near them, on,

however, the people that only have access to a gun right now its 37% and the law allows that

percentage to carry the gun. Where is the other 63% that do not own a gun?

The two articles are focusing in the carrying of guns inside universities, they are similar

because they both want the opposite, the article Carrying guns at Universities if approving that

any person with a license can bring a gun to the campuses, on the other hand, Guns off campus is

a group of people that are against that and they are protesting about it.
GUNS EVERYWHERE? 3

Structure and Delivery

The two genres are different in how they want to call the readers attention. The first genre

Guns Off has information about the law that permits the carry of guns in universities, lets the

reader know the purpose of the organization and gives facts about why guns should not be

allowed on campuses. On their web page, everything is user-friendly and presents a clean

structure with bright colors. The second genre, carry guns around campus, works it way to let the

reader now that in order to be safe they need to own a gun, the structure that is built up is with

different motivation quotes that (Ex. The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy

with a gun) would persuade the reader to buy a gun.

The first article starts by stating how controversial is the argument and how people are

for the approval of the law that would give them permission to carry guns. They show pictures of

people protesting saying Disarming me will not protect me making the reader believe that

owning a gun they are out of danger. The second article shows a picture of how not all the people

are likely to carry guns at the universities and they express that universities are not war zones, in

a similar article they list the consequences of people being able to bring guns to the universities.

In detail they start with a question catching the readers attention, making them doubt to

later own provide some facts that eventually would inflict in their answer, however, Guns off

fights all the facts by showing in a graph how the use of guns is misled in the united states.
GUNS EVERYWHERE? 4

Audience and Purpose

The first article is focusing on the people that already own a gun and it's encouraging that

if you do not own a gun to buy one, in case you need to use it for your own protection.

The second article is an organization focusing on every person that is in the university or

closes by, giving information and statics about the guns in the united states to, later on,

tell you to join you their campaign in order to take the law that permits guns at campuses.

Ethos

The use of ethos in the article because all the facts that they show to the reader, it shows

how more states are in favor in the carrying of guns on campuses and demonstrates in numbers

the violence in the United States; most of the sources come from web pages ending in ".gov"

making the data more accurate. Both genres have credibility, but guns off campus are far more

notable because it uses resources and facts that have been researching across the united states.

The video lacks the use of ethos since they do not use a lot of sources, they sacrifice the sources

to give their personal opinion about the use of guns.

Pathos

In the video, the use of pathos is noticeable because they try to set a scenario in where

there is a mass shooting and there's no police close by to stop it this makes the viewer think that

they need a gun for that kind of situations. Once the viewer acknowledges that he needs a gun or

is still in doubt the video gets more personal, it starts talking about the family and how to protect

it and later on it breakdowns all the things that needs to be done to own a gun, paperwork,

special training and interpretation of the law and self-defense.

GUNS EVERYWHERE? 5

Logos

The video shows logos by the structure that it contains, it opens with a statement where

says that a gun would make you safer not less safe catching the reader attention, Then it starts to

explain the requirements to own a gun, statists about the use of gun, and case studies that have to

happen where there is tragedy and makes you decide if it would have been different if any of the

persons involved in the tragedy would have a gun to use it as self-defense, this would be the

body, The video concludes with a open statement, Dr. Kierkus lets the reader know that it is a

sensitive topic and in order to make a debate people need to get the most information that they

can, also he gives his personal opinion where he says that he owns a gun to protect his family.
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Conclusion/Synthesis

In conclusion, the two genres want to prove that each one of them has the correct answers

to this dilemma, they manage to get the readers attention really well and persuade them to join

their cause. The video can make more impact in the community since it gives more information

about the prerequisites to owning a gun, talks and put the viewer in difficult scenarios and later

on touches the viewer feelings. The article tries to show the bad part of the guns, how accessible

they are for the public and how easy they are to use for anyone. Giving examples of a mass

shooting that have happened in the United States stating the shooter have got their guns legally.

It is a sensitive subject since some of the people just want to protect themselves and their loved

ones, while others just want to hurt themselves and their loved ones.
GUNS EVERYWHERE? 7

References
(2017, June 8). Retrieved from Guns off Campus:
http://keepgunsoffcampus.org/blog/2017/06/08/campaign-reacts-decision-michigan-court-
appeals-upholding-univ-michigan-firearm-ban/

CONCEALED GUNS. (2017, October 5). Retr

(2017, June 8). Retrieved from Guns off Campus:

http://keepgunsoffcampus.org/blog/2017/06/08/campaign-reacts-decision-michigan-court-
appeals-upholding-univ-michigan-firearm-ban/

Baumhardt, P. (2010, December 3). Youtube. Retrieved from "Concealed Weapons On Campus: The
Concept Of Armed Students": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-iFnNDRLqg

CONCEALED GUNS. (2017, October 5). Retrieved from ProCon.org: https://concealedguns.procon.org/

Hannaford, A. (2016, September 30). Should students be allowed to carry guns at university? Retrieved
from The telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/30/should-students-be-
allowed-to-carry-guns-at-university-special-r/

ieved from ProCon.org: https://concealedguns.procon.org/

Hannaford, A. (2016, September 30). Should students be allowed to carry guns at university? Retrieved
from The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/30/should-students-be-
allowed-to-carry-guns-at-university-special-r/