Monday night’s “PAC Dinner Debate on Gun Control” occurred between College Republicans Grant Knoploh and Scott Hanson, and College Democrats Andrew Williams and Jason Teiken. Both sides offered thoughtful arguments while maintaining civil, and at times, humorous dialogue. The debate centered on whether or not gun control should be left to individual discretion or left to federal regulation. At what level do you think these decisions ought to be made?
On the Republican side, Hanson and Knoploh appealed to the 2nd amendment in their argument, and quoted various historical figures; founding fathers who supported a citizen’s right to bear arms. Do you think that this argument is relevant today? Further comments were made regarding the ineffectiveness of mandatory waiting periods and government buy-back programs.
Democrats Teiken and Williams most prominent argument centered on the belief that less guns would lead to a subsequent decrease in crime rates, citing a variety of statistics relating guns to violence and injuries. Do you think that gun reduction is the way to cut crime, is there another, better way? Additionally, the pair deemed the founding father’s arguments antiquated and unhelpful in modern times, arguing that the these men could not have conceived of a standing army in peace time.
The debate ended with a lively question and answer segment addressing President Obama’s stance on gun control, the effectiveness of buy-back programs, and the impact of “gun culture” on safety in homes and schools.
Now the stage is yours, the debate is far from finished…give us your thoughts by posting a comment below!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 | Political Awareness Committee
Hey, are you guys going to post the entire debate and questions ever, cause that would be sweet!
Hey Milon,
Posting the entire debate probably won’t happen, as they can be up to an hour long, which wouldn’t be feasible to post online every week. However, we will post the questions for future Debate Debriefs. Be excited!
Thanks!
Political Awareness Committee