THE GUN CONTROL CASE STUDY - PART ONE
Submit as a "New Post" to the GUN CONTROL CASE STUDY FORUM

Boondocks, USA is a fictional city located in the western U.S. Boondocks is undergoing rapid population growth and many of the newcomers would like to enact a vaguely defined "gun control ordinance. " A public meeting of the City Council has been called and the meeting quickly breaks down into three groups:

Group #1: Old time residents, both men and women, have lived their entire life in Boondocks. They are ranchers, farmers, small business owners, and blue collar workers. All of them are hunters and most are gun enthusiasts.

Group #2: is made up of man and women who have moved to Boondocks in the last four years. This group is cosmopolitan and its members are white-collar professionals.

Group #3: The City Council (6 members) including the Mayor.

The six members are described as follows:

Bud - Mayer and local rancher. A strong proponent of gun ownership. Elected twenty years ago.

Susan - Council member, environmentalist, and newcomer who wants strong gun control. She was elected only last year. She wants to be mayor and wants to please the newcomers to the city.

Brad - Council member and local president of the NRA chapter. Dislikes Susan intensely. She hates him as well.

Kim - Council member who is a moderate on the council. She was raised in Boondocks but went to college at State University and sees both sides of the gun control issue.

Billy - Council and another newcomer who wants strong gun control.

Freida - Council member and long-time local resident who has been on the council for 20 years. She has no political agenda and often dozes during council meetings.

Ask yourself the questions below, then write an essay describing how you thing the debate will go. Which group would you be in? Why?, If you were one of the six council members which one would you be? Why? What arguments would you make to convince the other council members to see things your way?

Can crime be controlled by government policy?
Is gun control the answer to crime control?
How do Values Conflict?
Should gun control laws be local or national?
What second Amendment considerations are raised?

After careful study of the scenario above, review the textbook, your notes, and use the WWW Search feature of this Web to construct your best answer. After serious reflection and critical thought, go to your Word Processor and type at least a three page response. Do not use just opinion, feelings, or you own personal beliefs. Site facts, cases, court decisions, laws, or other generally accepted documentation. When satisfied that your response represents your best legal and ethical views, Select and copy your text and click on the "Go To Discussion Forum" button below and Paste your response there. Post as a New Topic to the Discussion Forum Below. Be sure to post to the Civil Rights discussion forum. Be sure that you are registered with your first and last name as your user name for grading purposes.

PART TWO
Submit as a "Reply" to any other students posting for the above assignment

Return to the Threaded Discussion and respond with a one page summary of your thoughts about the way one particular student resolved the situation. Your response may be to a posting that you think is particularly appropriate and insightful, or to a posting that you find problematic. If you are posting a negative response, use only the kind of criticism you would reserve for a close friend. Post as a "REPLY" to the Discussion Forum link below.

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