Topic

The main topic that US President Barack Obama focuses on in his remarks on common-sense gun safety reforms is the importance of introducing a new series of common-sense actions meant to reduce gun violence in the United States. In general, his speech shows the reasons why the US Congress – led by Republicans – must adopt these measures and act upon t…

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Common-sense gun safety reform

An important part of Obama’s speech is dedicated to describing the wave of mass-shootings and gun-related deaths and incidents that took place in the last years. Among others, he mentions the shooting of Gabby Giffords (a former member of the Congress) and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, as well as shootings in “Fort Hood. Binghamton. Aurora. Oak Creek. Newtown. The Navy Yard. Santa Barbara…

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Argumentation

Most of Barack Obama’s speech relies on direct/open argumentation, where he states his ideas clearly and openly.

For example, Obama is clear when he talks about his goals with his gun safety proposals. He is aware that they cannot change everything, but he is confident that they can bring positive consequences for the American society: “We know we can’t stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world. But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence.” (ll. 174-176)

Obama also directly states his goals when he talks about the urgency of li…