Topic Outline - Addiction to Medications

Topic Sentence Outline - Addiction to Prescription Medications including Reference page

Draft of the Topic Sentence Outline
Revised and Finalized Topic Sentence Outline
Reference List of five sources in correct APA style format

TOPIC FOR OUTLINE IS ADDICTION TO PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS

Pointing the Trigger Finger: Gun Control Debate

Thesis: Enforcing stricter laws to heighten gun control serves only as a diversion to the true issue behind violence, a dysfunctional society.

I. People fear that which can cause them severe harm or take their life or the life of a loved
one.
A. Many citizens who support banning assault weapons feel that the gun itself is the
cause of injury or death, instead of the individual pulling the trigger.

B. People tend to overlook the fact that a gun is merely an inanimate object that,
unless it is equipped with a person to operate it, cannot induce harm.

C. Increasing gun control laws and regulations or implementing a nationwide ban
may sound effective in theory, though in reality simply neglects deal with the
underlying issue of violence.

II. While imposing more in-depth, rigorous gun control methods or banning handguns
altogether may seem logical, what will the actual results really be?

A. Federal and local authorities require dealers to document traceable information on
the guns they sell, whom they sell to, and how many are sold, and only will sell to
an individual who passes the screening process.

B. If a gun-ban were set in place, only weapons that are registered would be subject
to the ban, leaving thousands of illegal handguns on the street, law-abiding
citizens without means of protection, and criminals to resort to alternate weapons
in order to commit crimes.

III. The number of fatalities and casualties caused by firearm related violent crimes could be
segregated into important subcategories that provide insight into factors such as intent
and trends.

A. The typical statistical data containing numbers concerning fatal violent assaults
includes crimes involving other weapons such as knives, blunt objects, and
unknown instruments.

B. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offers statistics crimes using handguns
that provide relevant percentages for the reason the crime occurred, fatalities,
injuries, whether the crime was self-defense or not, age groups, and other detailed
information.

IV. While concerned citizens feel that implementing stricter gun control or banning assault
weapons would significantly decrease violent crimes, the reasons people commit the
crimes, regardless of which weapon is used, remains.

A. It is imperative to understand that there are underlying motives or reasoning for
an individual to act out violently; inability to properly resolve conflict, lack of
education, impoverished neighborhoods, lack in parenting skills, etcetera.

B. Simply prohibiting the purchase or possession of assault weapons and not dealing
with the deprivation of education, ethical values, morals, poverty, and rational
comprehension, those acting out through violent behavior will continue to do so,
but merely utilize a different means of inflicting their fury upon others.

V. By getting to the core of the motivating factors causing people to act out violently toward
another person, this country may be able to remove the desire to inflict harm through
handguns for personal gain.

A. This country has become complacent and numb, only seeking out the best for the
individual and not the nation, ignoring those in need of proper healthcare, living
essentials, education, work, positive role models, or even a positive environment
for afterschool activities.

B. By providing proper education on gun safety and conflict resolution to children
through law enforcement officers, teachers, and parents, it would arm this country
with a brighter, safer future.

References

American Psychological Association. (1996). Reducing violence: A research agenda. A Human
Capital Initiative Report. Retrieved from ERIC database.
Cramer, C. (2003). Banning handguns would save lives? It just ain't so. The Freeman Ideas on
Liberty, 53(6). Retrieved from http://www.thefreemanonline.org/departments/it-just-aintso/
banning-handguns-would-save-lives-it-just-aint-so/#
Henderson, S. (2010). Stop killing our dreams. Ebony, 65(10), 78. Retrieved from MasterFILE
Premier database.
Fletcher, H. (2008). Shattered lives. New Statesman, 137(4880), 36-37. Retrieved from Business
Source Premier database.
Obeng, C. (2010). Should gun safety be taught in schools? Perspectives of teachers. Journal of
School Health, 80(8), 394-398. Retrieved from EBSCO Host database.
Stell, L. (2004). The production of criminal violence in America: is strict gun control the
solution. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 32(1), 38-46. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus
with Full Text database.