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APUSH | Wiley | Current Events Round 2Name:45783505207000Throughout the APUSH course we’ll often look at current events and explore their associated global and historical context. Such an investigation provides students with a better understanding of the United States (and the world), while also providing great context for the DBQ and LEQ on the national exam, where it’s expected that students are building lots of context into their arguments. In this exercise, we will look at national responses to the tragic events of a Sunday evening (10/1) country music concert, where 58 people were killed (not including the shooter) and more than 500 were injured. The tragedy has been labeled the “worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.” Here is a listing of the essential questions/issues we’ll explore with regards to this tragedy and its larger context, through both research and class discussion: 2nd Amendment: The text reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”What was the intent behind this Amendment? How did the Founding Fathers interpret it? Did they reach a consensus, or were they divided on its meaning like so many Americans today?Is the intent of the Founders (if we can identify a consensus) relevant to America today? Imagine the America these men lived in when they wrote the text of this amendment. How is the country different now?Other amendments (such as the 1st) are limited in a multitude of ways in modern American society. Why do proposals that “limit” the 2nd Amendment typically provoke so much more anger than cases where other amendments are limited?Gun control:Why do many Americans—particularly on the left of the political spectrum—respond to mass shootings with a desire to enact stricter gun control laws? How do those who oppose stricter gun control laws respond to these arguments?What are the results of stricter gun control laws in other countries?Mass shootings in America:Do mass shootings occur in other countries with the same frequency in other, similar countries? What are said to be the “causes” of mass shootings in America?Prompts:TV-host Jimmy Kimmel’s emotional Monday monologue regarding Sunday’s mass shooting have been trending since it aired. Watch the video and take bulleted notes on the key arguments he makes. Even if you agree with everything he said, try to refute something he said or indicate what would need to be fact-checked to ensure he is being honest with his viewers: to for background on the gun control issue. Take notes on the following sections:Section TitleKey NotesColonial/Revolutionary AmericaCollective vs. Individual Rights (Guns and the Supreme Court)The National Rifle Association (NRA)Gun Control LobbyCurrent Gun Control DebateGo to to explore several different arguments related to gun control. In your own words, describe some of the arguments:ProsConsPick two of the following articles and provide a summary, in your own words (bullet form is ok), of the most significant facts/arguments:Read 12 Facts About Guns and Mass Shootings in the United States (by Ezra Klein, in his Washington Post blog post). Go to for an article from Huffington Post titled “The NRA’s Fraud…” Read the arguments that David Hemenway, Harvard University professor of health policy made on this issue and we compare to other countries. Explain the cartoon’s message/argument/intent:Explain the image’s message/argument/intent: ................
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