Should the U.S. have stricter gun regulations?
scheme | subsequently | dominant | import | commission
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Do the Math
Do the Math
There are different dominant views about guns in different parts of the country. Some people think stricter regulations on guns are reasonable. Others think that the government should not interfere with the constitutional right to bear arms. Still others think that it’s okay for the government to regulate things like importing guns, but claim that any scheme to regulate personal ownership violates the Second Amendment.
Option 1:
Option 1:
The Pew Research Center commissioned a poll in 2017 to find out what the dominant view was on gun control. Subsequently, the Center published the following results:
Pew Research Center’s question:
What do you think is more important—to protect the right of Americans to own guns, OR to control gun ownership?
Which of the following is true about the data presented on the right?
A. More than half of those polled think controlling gun ownership is more important.
B. Less than half of those polled think protecting the right of Americans to own guns is more important.
C. The data do not show how views have changed over time.
D. All of the above.
Option 2:
Option 2:
Within the Democratic Party, the dominant position is that guns should be regulated. Republicans are more likely to favor gun rights. A Republican strategist commissioned a study on views of gun regulations in his home state. He found that 10% of Democrats in his state were strong supporters of gun rights. Subsequently, he came up with a scheme to bring these Democrats into his own party by appealing to their feelings about gun rights. If his strategy worked, his state would have more Republicans than Democrats. If r = the number of Republicans at the time of the poll and d = the number of Democrats, which inequality is true?
A. .1d + r > d
B. .1d + r > .9d
C. r ≥ d
D. r – d = .1d
Discussion Question:
Discussion Question:
The Pew Research Center has been commissioning polls on hot topics like gun regulations for many years. This allows them to track changes over time in Americans’ dominant views on controversial topics. Sometimes, subsequent to a major event like the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, people’s opinions change. What are some major events of your lifetime that may have affected people’s feelings about gun regulations? Which of these events may have made people more likely to support stricter gun restrictions? Which of these events may have made people more likely to oppose strong gun restrictions?
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