PS: lost connection on 12/8/21 when trying to present & won't be in class on 12/15 or 12/16 for the in-person presentation or the virtual zoom presentation so instead I made a google slides presentation with a little transition when you put it in present mode, as my modified presentation as I won't be in class for very personal issues and hard times. Have a great Holidays everybody and have an amazing end of semester! It was a pleasure, and thank you professor.
MY GOOGLE SLIDES PRESENTATION IS ATTACHED RIGHT BELOW THIS TEXT:
Gun Control in the US
MY POSTER
Benjamin Bliss (Gun Violence in Movies)
https://www.behance.net/gallery/13244021/Gun-Violence-In-Movies-(Editorial-Illustration)
Ever since the dawn of time humans have felt the need to protect themselves or their valued possessions. This was executed using physical action, a weapon, among other alternatives. One of these weapons that is still greatly used today in the US and around the world are guns. They come in all shapes, sizes and prices. Initially they were intended for self defense and hunting purposes strictly. In fact this can be seen in the second amendment of the United States that was passed on December 15th, 1791 (Interactive Constitution, 2021). It states “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.” (Interactive Constitution, 2021). The creators of the constitution did not want to create a tyrannical government therefore they gave the population the right to bear arms to check the government (Vandercoy, 1994).
Unfortunately events have not turned out as expected. Flash forward a few hundred years to 2021 and the current situation we live in, it's a disaster. We are currently living in a crisis right now. Giving the population the right to bear has caused much violence and crime. Sure there are permits and fees to pay to get the firearm but after that you're free to own one, no one can deny your amendment right. What's the first thing that comes to mind when a thief robs a bank? Obviously a high caliber gun comes into mind. Guns are very much used to commit crimes and other illicit actions. Not only that but they are used to create violence causing havoc and pain. Take for example the recent Oxford High School shooting that happened about a week ago on November 30th, 2021 (Vera, 2021). It occurred when a 15 year old boy opened fire at his High School Tuesday afternoon causing the death of 3 students and the injury of 8 others (Vera, 2021).
Artist Benjamin Bliss’s image of a gun with a film on the barrel called “Gun Violence in Movies'' depicts that gun violence is a serious problem. Through his artwork Bliss seeks to expose gun violence through movies, I would argue that it can also be used to expose gun violence in general. As seen in the image the cartridge slots are empty and the film roll seems to be endless. This can relate to the extensive history of gun violence in the US. The film roll showcases past events and new ones about to happen as the hand seems to be about to reload. This expresses the powerful fact that gun violence has been an issue for a long time hence the film roll and it will continue to do so hence the empty cartridge slots ready to fire. Once fired these will represent new events such as the Oxford High School shooting.
I grabbed inspiration from several sculptures and works of art. One of them is a sculpture by Carl Fedrik called the “Knotted Gun” (ny books, 2021). It portrays a revolver pointed forward with the barrel knotted, seeking to end gun violence. Another sculpture that can be found inspiration on gun violence is called “The Last Lockdown” (Stewart, 2021). It was developed by Sean Leonard and fellow workers with the purpose to prevent future shootings (Stewart, 2021) . Another piece of art that inspired me was made by Luis Prado and portrays a stop sign with bullet holes, needing to stop gun violence (Prado, 2021).
This issue is related to a social economic problem due to the fact that it affects us all in the US (society) and economically because ending or restricting gun use would cause gun dealers among other businesses to lose money. In New Jersey it only costs $50 to get a gun permit along with other pre-requisites (gun law suits, 2021). Because it is extremely cheap, we need to impose stricter and better policies to stop gun violence. If not we can expect it to continue to happening such as seen in Bliss’s image.
Carl Fedrik “Knotted Gun”
Sean Leonard “The Last Lockdown”
Luis Prado
Work Cited
Interactive Constitution. 2021. Right to bear arms https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-ii
Vandervoy, David. 1994. PolitiFact. Joe Biden gets history wrong on the Second Amendment limiting gun ownership
Vera, Amir. 2021. CNN. 3 dead, 8 injured in shooting at Michigan high school, undersheriff says
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/30/us/michigan-oxford-high-school-incident/index.html
Gun Law Suits. 2021. New Jersey Gun Permit. https://gunlawsuits.org/gun-laws/new-jersey/gun-permit/
Ny books. 2021. Disarming the NRA https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/10/05/disarming-the-nra/
Stewart, Jessica. 2021. My Modern Met. Powerful Sculpture Reflects the Heartbreaking Impact of School Shootings
https://mymodernmet.com/last-lockdown-school-shooting-sculpture/
Prado, Luis. 2021 Posters.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/10623633/Posters-Against-Gun-Violence
Summary
My topic is gun violence in the United States. It can clearly be shown in the image above of Benjamin Bliss “Gun Violence in Movies”. I have chosen this topic because it has been an issue for a very long time and needs to get recognition so it can change. I have chosen the image because although some individuals understand through words others understand visually or through images. My message to the audience is that we need stinger gun violence reform. We need to stop this and take action to save lives and better our society. I have shared this post on my Facebook live page. The support was astonishing, many people supported my idea. There were a few that disagreed with me explaining that it was their right. I explained that stronger reforms needed to take place but the right wouldn't be taken away. This project helped me speak out for myself and see the bigger picture. This issue doesn't only affect me but also many people around the world. I need to speak up and bring awareness. It fits my personal aspirations because it taught me to do a deeper research using different sources along with images to convey my message, which is something I was not very good at. Other events that have helped me have been the Oxford School Shooting, the explanation of the Second Amendment (why it was done) and the gun permits in NJ (how easy they are). The research that has helped me has been the definition of the second Amendment as well as research of the Oxford School shooting and how it happened.
SHORT Animated YOUTUBE VIDEO (over 3.5 mins)
MY GOOGLE SLIDES PRESENTATION IS ATTACHED RIGHT BELOW THIS TEXT:
PS: lost connection on 12/8/21 when trying to present & won't be in class on 12/15 or 12/16 for the in-person presentation or the virtual zoom presentation so instead I made a google slides presentation with a little transition when you put it in present mode, as my modified presentation as I won't be in class for very personal issues and hard times. Have a great Holidays everybody and have an amazing end of semester! It was a pleasure, and thank you professor.
No comments:
Post a Comment