Public Problem Summary
The problem that this “action plan” seeks to address is the legal, political and public tension or dilemma that exists in the US as to whether the Federal and State governments can and should restrict or possibly repeal and abolish gun control laws. This is in light of the recent developments in which guns in the hands of the American public are increasingly being used to commit crimes but at the same time restricting such rights mean Americans will be more vulnerable to attacks and armed violence. The gun control has also become an important issue for the US citizens following the recent spate of terror attacks on Americans in public places like churches and schools. It became an issue particularly after the 2015 San Bernardino shooting in which 14 Americans were killed and scores wounded. Moreover, it has become an important issue particularly when one the attackers are consistently reported to be members of the Islamic faith, raising controversies as to whether or not US should open its borders for them or it is high time it tightened its immigration laws to ward off religious extremists and American enemies. The issue of gun control has also become important in that it has become one of the key issues for public debate in the ongoing Presidential nomination and election campaigns. Besides, given that gun control receives the Second Amendment backing as inalienable right of every American to defend himself, it has become such important an issue in America. People need to act on this issue of gun control since, in my opinion, it goes to the very root of the American current and future social integration, safety and security given that it has already created racial, political and religious divisions among American public.
Skills and Interests Assessment
I am particularly interested in this topic of gun control due to the myriad of legal/Constitutional, political, social/religious and philosophical issues it raises or evokes in the minds of almost all American citizens at its every mention. Having been an active member of several debating clubs and attended several workshops on public speaking and participation at the state level, I believe that my pubic appeal and participation in this issue will bear the desired fruits of bringing about a constructive debate and solution to this problem once and for all. Moreover, I have good interpersonal and communication skills that I am convinced are indispensable for a constructive engagement of the public in the issue. I also strongly believe one has to be assertive enough to shape any meaningful discourse on the issue of gun control in order to convince the public to buy their idea and message.
Public Action Overview
In going public with my argument about the desirability of gun control policies that does not violate Second Amendment rights; I plan to engage the public through public debates in public halls, residential and colleges. I plan to organize public forums where I can air my views and recommendations on how tom best handle the issue in a bipartisan manner and also give members of the public the opportunity to constructively engage in the open discussions. The logistics will possibly involve securing or obtaining license from law enforcement authorities and education institutions in various states to use their public halls. Logistically, finances are required to cater for organizing such an event for transport and other expenses. It may also require the involvement of people with professional, legal and historical background experience and skills on dealing with the issue.
Local Public Summary
The potential audiences that will possibly interact with my argument include politicians, state authorities, and students from colleges, schools and universities. Some of the local public I will be interacting with includes minority people of color and Muslims who feel disproportionately targeted by arguments that they have contributed to gun violence incidences in US. I will also be interacting with school children who have of late been major targets of gun violence. I will, for instance, engage them on their views on possibility of introducing guns in schools to ensure safety of schools. The people likely to see, read or participate in my engagement project include members of the press who may wish to report it if they deem it a noble idea and the youth through. After interaction with my ideas on gun control, I would like the public to make political and personal informed decisions on the issue and also ensure that any change on gun control laws reflect their general view. It is important for the members of the public to engage in the debate on the topic from an informed point of view so that they can take with a pinch of salt such statement as “government could take your guns” being peddled by politicians.
Partnerships and Collaborations
I seek to partner with groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) as a group that has a lot of influence in shaping the public and political debate on gun control. I may also want to collaborate with special interest groups that advocate for second Amendment rights and working to shape public policy on gun control. A good example of these would be the institute for Legislative Action (ILA) which is a constitutive body of NRA that lobbies for the preservation of the rights of law-abiding Americans to legitimately buy, possess and use guns as the Constitution guarantees. Besides, groups like the Brady Center and Brady Campaign that advocate for the enactment of gun laws, policies and regulation. Partnering with these two groups will be particularly important for my plan since one of their clarion calls is to have the federal government increase public awareness on gun control and related violence. It also works to educate the public about gun violence through mobilizations and public interest litigation. Hence these groups and institutions will form very relevant partner groups given these important roles they play in the American society to shape not only public opinion on gun control, but also advocate for effective gun control legislation at both state and federal levels.
The Reflective Memo
Intellectual Process
The experience of transitioning from making g a public argument in a traditional genre to making it in a different one centered on building relationships and creating action was awesome and quite interesting. However, at the same time, it was fraught with both practical and logistical challenges of having to create rapport and interact with people with sometimes completely diverse views from mine about gun control issue. Moderating the public discussions on the issue is also likely to prove challenging due to the differences in personality traits of participants and group dynamics.
The main benefits of going out there into the world to make a public argument are, first, that one gets the opportunity to influence and shape public opinion on an important social issue such as gun control. Secondly, going out to the public to advance your argument makes you appreciate the various diverse views of the public on a given issue and this drives the action plan. However, such an enterprise is not without its own bottlenecks. One such drawback is that people may interpret your message or argument differently and even read political motives in it and thus fails to grasp the main idea of the whole initiative. Furthermore, it requires a lot of personal dedication and time to organize, for example, public discussions and debate on such controversial matters as the gun control. Also, sometimes the attendance at public meeting may be too low as few people are likely to show up thus hampering any meaningful engagement on the issue.
Theory of Public Engagement
Public engagement may be traced back to Karl, Marx, Paulo Freire, Martin Luther King and more recently, Barack Obama who were able to use rhetoric and language literacy to actively engage the public on their political and philosophical ideas. But how exactly where they able to do this? Rhetoric has been defined as “the art of making a difference through inquiry, deliberation and literate action in the name of equality and social justice “(Flower 75). According to Flower, since socially engaged critical theories normally involve elaboration of systematic, abstract and logically coherent images of action that are rarely tested and in most cases unworkable practically, it is important for one to use both rhetoric and literacy skills in order to succeed. According to this author, “the great challenge that faces a rhetoric performance is moving from ‘describing what is possible’ to building actionable plans, that is, to translating a good in-principle theory to a working theory” (Flower 90). Thus, the main theories of public engagement are in-principle and working theory. The working theory involves articulation of values, goals and assumptions and involves moving from theoretical analysis to action coupled with self-consistency, coherence and logic.
Thus, everyday ordinary people with no professional writing skills (novices) can use rhetoric and literacy to engage in public problems through acquisition of problem solving and critical thinking skills. Some of the rhetoric skills and literate practices needed to fulfil my action plan therefore include cognitive thinking, communication and articulate skills, manipulative and negotiation skills. Rowe and Frewer (254) state that the main typologies or mechanisms of public engagement are public communication, participation and consultation. Therefore, in order to ensure success in public engagement, I will embrace these techniques and combine them with the literacy skills identified.
Finally, after doing this project, my personal theory about what it really means to be publicly engaged is one that is pegged on action and principles based on the social issue at hand. In my opinion, for one to be effectively engaged with the public on certain pressing societal issues such as gun control, the pan suggested must be grounded on some actionable measures and strategies that can be put into practice. As Orr and Rogers state in their discussion on public engagement, such a theory should also be based on the need to educate, inform and create widespread awareness about the particular issue among the general public.
Works Cited
Flower, Linda. Community literacy and the rhetoric of public engagement. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2008. Print.
Orr, Marion and John Rogers. Public engageent for public education: Joining forces to revitalize democracy and equalize schools. Standford, California: Standford University Press, 2011. Print.
Rowe, Gene and Lynn J Frewer. "A typology of public engagement mechanisms." Journal of Science, Technology, & Human Values 30.2 (2005): 251-290. Web. 25 February 2016. <sth.sagepub.com>.
