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Click on the three links below to go to the articles you are to read and use in your essay:
http://www.dps.texas.gov/InternetForms/Forms/LTC-16.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/opinion/john-paul-stevens-repeal-second-amendment.html?login=smartlock&auth=login-smartlock
Bang for the Buck: These three links above are your research/book-review essay. You need not do any other research. Simply start by reading this article and and the link to the Texas statutory gun law. Click on the New York Review of Books link above. It takes you to a book review of three books. You are to read the article about these three books. Your paper is based on these three links. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) link takes you to a booklet, “Texas License to Carry a Handgun.” The New York Times link takes you to a short opinion essay written by retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens on why he believes the Second Amendment should be repealed.
The purpose of this paper is to give you an opportunity to learn the history of guns, the Second Amendment and the state laws that give Texans the right to carry a handgun.
- Answer the following questions regarding the history of guns in the United States:
- Give a brief history of guns in the United States based on your reading of “Bang for the Buck.” What information regarding the history of guns surprised or interested you?
- Discuss the confusion surrounding the meaning of the Second Amendment.
- Examine the origins of the Second Amendment and why Justice Stevens calls for its repeal. Do you agree or disagree with Mr. Justice Stevens…and why do you agree, or why do you disagree with his argument?
- What are the requirements for Texans seeking a license to carry a handgun as outlined in the DPS handbook on page 8 under GC §411.174. APPLICATION
The paper is structured to have two distinct parts–Answer the major questions and answer questions about how you were politically socialized.
The paper is not about any particular shooting. It is not about whether or not you personally are licensed to carry a handgun–please do not include that unsolicited information.
As you read in your chapter about political participation and public opinion formation, you learned that how you perceive political events are influenced by a number of factors. Please answer the following questions in your paper about the factors that shape your view of the history of guns, the Second Amendment and handgun licenses in Texas.
Answer the following questions in your essay. Remember these answers are strictly confidential. This is an exercise or inventory to help you understand what influences your political views and socialization.
- Where are you from—where did you grow up—and did your hometown, state, or country influence your political beliefs?
- How did you learn about government growing up?
- How did the area of the country or the world you’re from help determine your political socialization?
- What influenced and how your political socialization—your parents, your religion, your peers, your school, the media?
- If you’re 18 or older and a citizen, are your registered to vote and have you voted before? Why or why not?
The paper is short –1000 words–and is due no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 6, 2018 before 11:59 PM via Canvas.