Perspectives

Current issues

As Barack Obama’s remarks on reducing gun violence addresses issues that are still important for US citizens, it is a good idea to analyze the speech in terms of current issues.

First of all, note that Obama’s proposals were debated by the Congress, but they were defeated in the Senate soon after Obama’s speech was delivered. The Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 was a bill introduced in the Congress soon after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and was defeated by a vote of 40 to 60.

Gun violenc…

...

Related texts

You may consider comparing this speech to another speech by Barack Obama, such as his remarks regarding Trayvon Martin from 19th of July, 2013 (only three months after he talked about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting). In this speech, Obama responds to the fatal shooting of a young African-American man (who was unarmed and had not committed a crime) by a white man who claimed to have acted in self-defense.

Although both speeches deal with shootings, Obama’s position is very different. In his speech regarding Sandy Hook, Obama is firm and encourages Congress to accept his suggested gun reform proposals. In his speech about Trayvon Martin, however, Obama’s tone is more regretful, and he talks about a few …