PHIL 347 Week 5 Discussion; In My Opinion

Week 5 Discussion: In My Opinion Initial Post Instructions Consider one of the following current social issues – or one of your choice: Opioid crisis Legalization of recreational or medical marijuana Vaping Immigration Elimination of the electoral college Gun control For the initial post, address the following: State your position on one of these issues – are you for, against, or neutral? Explain why. Avoid vagueness or ambiguity in your response. Make your position very clear. Examine how you have formed that opinion. How well do you think you know the facts? Do you know and understand statistical information that applies to the issue? Do you think you have formed your opinion using only System-1 thinking, or have you applied System-2? What part have heuristics, cognitive bias, and dominance structuring played in how you have formed your opinions? The initial post is not about how "correct" your position is; it is about how you arrived at your position on the issue. This discussion requires application of metacognition – thinking about how you think. Hello Class & Professor, I’m for gun control. More specifically, raising the minimum age for all gun purchases. Why? Purchasing and possessing a lethal weapon is a serious responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. The facts & understanding the facts: Federal law establishes two classifications of firearms: handguns and long guns. In gun crimes for which the type of gun is identified, handguns are most common (Edwards, et at., 2018) As an outcome, handguns are overseen more precisely compared to rifles and shotguns (Edwards, et al.,2018). In the United States, a 21-year-old can buy a handgun meanwhile and 18-year-old can buy a long gun (Crifasi, 2019). This has the illogical effect of compelling younger individuals to purchase handguns from companies who aren’t licensed and don’t require background checks (Crifasi, 2019). Age requirements – and the gaps in federal law – entered the spotlight in February of last year, when a 19-year-old man used a legally purchased AR-15 rifle to murder 14 of his classmates and three school staffers in Parkland, Florida (Morain & Crifasi, 2019). Research also demonstrates that while most mass shootings include handguns, rifles come up with increased casualty counts (Morain & Crifasi, 2019). Moreover, in 30 states individuals are able to purchase guns from private seller without any background check or even verification of age (Morain & Crifasi, 2019). Guns in the hands of younger individuals cause not only an increase in crime but also successful suicide attempts (Morain & Crifasi, 2019). About 38 percent of all suicides by individuals under the age of 21 are carried out with a gun (Morain & Crifasi, 2019). Another study also found that increasing the minimum legal age to buy ALL gun types to 21 years was linked with a 9% decrease in rates of gun suicides between 18-to-20-year-olds (Morain & Crifasi, 2019). Our country sets minimum ages for driving, voting, and drinking alcohol to encourage responsible behavior (Phelps, 2018). This is because younger