RUNNING HEAD: Persuasive Writing Campaign – Guns on Campus 1

1. Topic
A. Exigence

Mass shootings seem to be becoming more common than they should. Americans have

become so desensitized that we quickly forget about the impact that it has on us and future

generations. At what point do we say that it is enough? When did we get to the point where

human life has little value? UA Little Rock is trying to fight fire with fire (pun intended) with the

newly implemented concealed carry rule. Allowing people to carry guns on campus not only puts

innocent people at risk of violence, but it will also affect the way we all interact with each other.

They are essentially putting guns into the hands of would be attackers. The institution provides a

long list of rules and regulations, but fails to go into detail about how to make sure the

individuals who are carrying guns are following the rules. As far as a concrete game plan, it

seems the institution does not have one.

Concealed carry refers to the act of carrying a concealed firearm or the legal right to do so

(Merriam-Webster, 2017). The law to carry concealed weapons on campus has been mandated in

a number of states recently, Arkansas being one of them. As a citizen, I see this as an attempt to

create a sense of security within the community. However, at a time when the United States

already has enough problems with respect to guns, now is not a good time to implement a law

such as this.

According to Erin Grinshteyn and David Hemenway (2015), doctors who write for The

American Journal of Medicine, the United States’ gun homicide rate was found to be 25.2 times

higher when compared to 23 other countries and 49.0 times higher when narrowed down to the

ages of 15-24. These age ranges reflect the ages of typical college students. This means that it is

likely that violence may erupt on our campus upon the implementation of the law on campus.
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UA Little Rock now has not only college level students, but high school students as well which

falls into the age range of individuals that are more likely to be affected or participate in gun

violence.

It all comes down to state legislation and if law makers are making the right choices for

people in the general community and those on college campuses. People attend college in hopes

of gaining an education in a safe space. Since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 where 27 people

were killed, including the shooter, there have been 1,552 mass shootings in the U.S. (Lopez, G.,

Mark, R., Oh, S., 2017). A mass shooting can be defined as an incident where four or more

people have been injured or killed. So it stands to reason that increasing the amount of guns

circulating on college campuses could be detrimental to the safety of all administration, faculty,

students, and even law enforcement.

At this rate the cycle of violence will only perpetuate. I hope this campaign is able to help

people see that a problem cannot be solved by allowing more opportunities for the problem to

occur. I would like people to think about the impact that our laws today will have on the future.

We should want our youth to grow up in such a tumultuous society. There is enough going on in

the general community and there is no need to create opportunities for violence on school

campuses as well.

B. Invention

This issue should way heavy on the hearts and minds of every citizen. Even if they have not

been directly affected. The people who were victims or the family of victims in mass shootings

did not plan for those events to happen. I think that the statistics alone should cause speculation

as to whether allowing open carry is good for the campus community, but if that is not enough

the fact that we have minors on campus and the complications with security should surely raise
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eyebrows. Numbers do not lie and I think that many people believe that horrible things will not

happen to them, but the victims of the many mass shootings in the country probably did not think

anything would happen to them either. Most of the shootings happened while firearms were

prohibited from campus so allowing guns on campus could only make the situation worse.

In a way administrators are providing the setting and means to cause disaster. We have

campus police to protect the campus community. If allowing civilians to carry weapons to

campus is what will protect the community, the police force is completely obsolete. They are

paid for a reason and that reason is to protect us. One thing the institute should consider is

figuring out ways to fund more officers and better security measures so the safety of the

community is not left in the hands of every individual on campus. Those of us attending school

and professors as well have enough to worry about with classes and extracurricular activities.

Adding this extra layer puts even more pressure on both. Most of us walk around town with fear

already. College campuses and any school campus, for that matter, are supposed to be safe

spaces.

2. Audience Analysis

A. Characteristics and Key Dimensions of Audience

The general audience I am targeting would be individuals of the campus community and

those who closely work with the university. The ultimate goal is to create a sense of the security

for those attended school and those working for the university. The statistics show that there is a

definite problem with gun violence in our society. My target audience is trying to develop ways

in which to eliminate this issue.

They are individuals who have a direct connection with state laws and university rules

and regulations. I think that those creating laws such as concealed carry on college campus
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believe that they are doing the right thing. However, I am not sure on what basis they are

drawing this belief from. I do understand the general concept of improving campus safety. As a

student of the university I have seen firsthand that we do not have enough campus police and if

we do they are barely visible.

I think my target audience is trying to get ahead of the problem to prevent an issue before

it happens. This is a noble act with respect to wanting to protect the campus community. They

are the ones that have to make the difficult decisions when it comes to how the university is run,

but paying attention to the concerns of the campus community could give them some insight into

what might work best for the individuals it would be directly affect. I think that because the topic

of guns is such as hot button subject in the United States, many people have become polarized

and have formed their own idea of what will and will not work for our society. Each side wants

to have the upper hand on the other. This in turn can overshadow the statistics that show how

much of a problem we truly do have with guns.

The topic quickly becomes less about safety and more about politics. The college campus

is no place to have such divisive ideas. It is not a place where we distinguish ourselves as

Democrat or Republican or pro-gun control or anti-gun control. The central issue is making sure

that those who inhabit the campus have a sense of security and have the ability to rely on those

who are paid to protect us.

Honestly speaking the reasoning behind implementing the law is a bit muddy. If I had to

make an inference I would say that the decision is leaning more toward a Republican viewpoint.

This is to say that I do not know their exact political beliefs, but based on my knowledge of the

most notable Republican viewpoints, minimal gun control is one of them.

B. Segments
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I. State Legislatures

State legislatures are those that directly affect the laws implemented on college

campuses. As law makers they should already know the statistics and percentages of violence in

our community due to guns or otherwise. I think that my campaign will show them that we are

all paying attention to what is happening around us and that we all was to develop a remedy for

the problem. If they know that students are paying attention I hope they would be more likely to

listen to our viewpoints since we are the ones who will be dealing with the issue at hand.

II. University Administration

University administration have a direct connection to the university so it would behoove

them to pay attention to the viewpoints of its students. Our confidence in administration is

important to how successful the university will be. If a large amount of people disagree with the

beliefs of those running the institution it could affect enrollment rates and graduation rates. I do

not know of anyone that wants to stay in a place where they do not feel safe. I think the issue

deserves a second look from administration before it completely goes into effect. University

administration have a better understanding of the community atmosphere and what will and will

not work for its inhabitants.

3. Preliminary Strategy

A. Goals

The goal of my campaign is to get state legislatures and university administration to take a

second look at the implementation of this new law. I believe that there is a number of people

who feel this will take the university into the wrong direction. As a student I encourage others to

make their beliefs known and take stance on what is right and wrong. We should at least create a

healthy dialogue on the subject. Based on the things I have heard from other students and faculty,
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I think that they feel the same way that I do. The ultimate goal is to get the law completely

reversed. I cannot understand how our gun violence problem can be fixed by allowing more guns

in what is supposed to be a safe space.

B. Obstacles

The major obstacle I face with my campaign is the strength of political beliefs behind this

topic. In general the subject of gun control has created such a divide among citizens in the

country and it is no less evident in the politics at a university. People was to create a world that is

best for them which can have a negative impact on those of us who do not have much say in was

laws are implemented. While I know that there is probably a large number of students and even

faculty who believe the law will be effective, I also know that there is a number of that believe

for the greater good we should create limitations where we can in order for everyone to feels

safe.

References

Concealed carry. (2017). In Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/concealed%20carry
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Grinshteyn, E., Hemenway, D. (2015). Violent death rates: the us compared with other high-

income oecd countries. The American Journal of Medicine, 129, 266-273.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.10.025.

Lopez, G., Mark, R., Oh, S. (2017). After sandy hook we said never again. And then we let 1,552

mass shootings happen. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/a/mass-shootings-

sandy-hook