An Analysis Of The Gun Control Circus Through Political Satire?

An Analysis of the Gun Control “Circus” through Political Satire Gun control in America is a “hot button” issue that typically gets attention in the mainstream media following gun related tragedies. In recent years, these tragedies usually involve mass shootings. While there is nothing funny about the mass murder of American people, the debates that often follow these events can sometimes resemble a “three ring circus”. Proponents of gun control believe that current laws do not address the issue of gun violence. Advocates of gun rights feel that the current laws either go too far or that more regulation would be too much. The following political cartoons address some of the issues in American gun control policy.
The right to own guns is provided for in the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In Figure 1, President Obama has used his executive order “stamp” to stamp “void where prohibited by law” on the second amendment. This action implies that Obama could use an executive order to prohibit the right to bear arms. In actuality, Obama did issue twenty-five executive orders regarding gun control in 2013, none of which banned the right to own firearms (Bramble 2014). The second amendment states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the

Figure 3 depicts the “gun nuts” telling Uncle Sam that the Navy Yard Shooting was caused by mental illness. Uncle Sam is “clearly” not impressed with this explanation. The fact is that studies show that mental illness is not a predictor of future violence. A history of violent behavior is the best indicator of future violence (Bramble 2014). Uncle Sam may be alluding to the “gun nut’s” mental state. However, ultimately it’s impossible to know if someone with a mental disorder or without a mental disorder may become violent. This comic “clearly” illustrates what is wrong with the mental health