1.When Dow calls the two most common policy positions equally absurd, he was referring to two major ideas. The first one was that restricted control on guns would have prevents such events such as Columbine,Virginia Tech, or Aurora. The other Idea was that if more people were carrying guns, that the shooters in these mass killing would have been taken down sooner by the citizens possessing firearms in the area. I honestly can say that I would favor upon having more firearms and that this would be more of a solution. When I say more firearms, I mean more people legally and safely owning and carrying firearms. Dow doesn’t believe that each of these cases are not the answer. His criticism deals with the mental health of the people. He believes that if their mental health was closely evaluated that maybe these mass shooting could be avoided.
2.The function of Dow’s references to other mass shootings was to draw a connection to his findings. Dow brings up the mental health of the people who have committed these mass shootings and their not so direct correlation with guns. He said that the connection with guns is not entirely true. He believed that it wouldn’t have mattered because the mental health of the shooter was bad. Dow said that he could have just as well have brought a bomb inside the school instead of a firearm. This should open the eyes of the audience as to what his main idea really is about.
3. When Dow explains his death penalty view, he said that “if you are talking about the death penalty now, you are talking about closing the barn door after the mare is a mile down the road.” This is saying that it is too late to start the discussion about the death penalty. As distinguished as Dow is on the subject, he believes in this instance that the death penalty is irrelevant. The main idea of the issue dealing with these mass shootings has long since passed discussing whether or not these shooters should face the death penalty because that is not what the article is about.
4.When Dow argues that “all of us share the responsibility for ignoring the James Holmses of the world.” What he meant by this argument that we as people only react to something when it is too late. Such as When James Holmes killed 12 people in Aurora . People did not React to that tragedy until after those 12 people were dead and it was too late. Dow was trying to highlight this fact with his argument and putting that responsibility on the audience.
5.Dow’s argument relates to culture in the way that it connects to the audience. Dow uses his examples in order to relate to culture. The multiple examples of the mass shootings highlight different ideas. They have to deal with the restricting not just on guns but on people; and that is what is culturally relatable.
Djlangan 