I have been asked to debate a very progressive gun control advocate, Monday....this is my first debate.
The debate format is....
Introduction....(tell who you are) 5 min..
10 min for the rest ( 5 for cross examination)
1st for constructive
cross examination
2nd for constructive
cross examination
2nd against constructive
cross examination
for reubttal
questions from the audience
The question the debate will center around: Is it the duty of the Government to regulate the sales and ownership of certain firearms?
To me, the question, although aimed at "certain firearms", can be re-focused on the front end of the statement....if you characterize the "duty of Gov't"...outside of firearms, what "duty" does the gov't have to regulate anything?
Historically, in the last 100 years, what have been the key events that have triggered not only gun regulation, but really,
any regulation...wasn't the first regulation of fully automatic weapons rationalized out of the mob's, Chicago and the Capone era?and then the Cosa Nostra...it started out about crime that couldn't be stopped to the tools of crime that could be (supposedly) managed to have an impact. The next big thing was the Kennedy assassination and Johnson's sweeping gun control laws....
When did the gov't lose focus on its "duty" and become the puppet of political will and wind....the Brady bunch was formed after Reagan assassination attempt and now have a mission..
The mission statement of the Brady Campaign is "to enact and enforce sensible gun laws, regulations, and public policies through grassroots activism, electing public officials who support gun laws, and increasing public awareness of gun violence."[3] The Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is a 501(c)(4) organization.
...prior to that... In 1976,[] then chairman Nelson "Pete" Shields stated:
"We'll take one step at a time, and the first is necessarily – given the political realities – very modest. We'll have to start working again to strengthen the law, and then again to strengthen the next law and again and again. Our ultimate goal, total control of handguns, is going to take time. The first problem is to slow down production and sales. Next is to get registration.
The final problem is to make possession of all handguns and ammunition (with a few exceptions) totally illegal
Gun advocates maintain a 1 vote lead as a last resort in SCOTUS...but even that may change...
Perhaps another way to reframe the debate is to ask..."Is the Gov't regulation of
anything effective"....look at the tax code, Obama care, the generational theft of Social Security to fund a war in 1967...
Here is an interesting piece...
http://www.ctsportsmen.com/news/racist_roots_of_gun_control.htm
So, is the current national debate a recognition of "gov't duty" or is it just the basic debate on the constitution as Rights vs being a "living document that reflects the times and society".... and lines from the President post catastrophy like this; "Its up to us, the only way we can change is if the American people demand it".
http://www.bradycampaign.org/about/
anyway, it should be interesting...your a pretty smart guy, you'll do well.
Who is the debate sponsor? What if any will be the media outlet and use of the debate outcomes?
In a debate, when your not on offense, your on defense...