VOA慢速英语2013 THIS IS AMERICA - Americans Debating Gun Control

 

THIS IS AMERICA - Americans Debating Gun Control

From VOA Learning English, welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in Special English. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

And I’m Jim Tedder¹. This week on our program, we talk about one of the most intense debates in America: gun control. In 2005, the Gallup research organization reported that about three in ten Americans had a gun. Some Americans want more limits on the kinds of weapons and equipment ordinary citizens can have. A number of recent shootings have only intensified² the debate.

“Haidya’s parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber³ tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence.”

President Obama named some recent victims of gun violence in his State of the Union speech to Congress and the nation in February. They included a 15-year-old girl in Chicago, a member of Congress in Arizona, elementary school children in Connecticut and people at a movie theater in Colorado. President Obama called on Congress to vote on gun control measures.

“Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.

The families of Newtown deserve a vote.

The families of Aurora⁴ deserve a vote.

The families of Oak Creek⁵, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless⁶ other communities ripped open by gun violence – they deserve a simple vote.”  

But British writer Edward Davies says there is nothing simple about the issue of gun control. Mr. Davies writes about America for BMJ, the British Medical Journal. He does not favor a particular position on the issue.

"It’s interesting. It’s complicated, and there’s no right answer, is what’s slowly emerging as far as I can see."

Mr. Davies sees American history, including the Second Amendment⁸ to the Constitution, as the driving force in the dispute.

The Second Amendment reads: “A well regulated Militia⁹, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed¹⁰.”

Gun rights supporters -- and the Supreme¹¹ Court -- say the amendment guarantees individuals the right to own a gun. Gun control activists¹² say the amendment was meant to guarantee states the right to organize militias¹³ for defense¹⁴.

But Mr. Davies does not see gun control as a political question. He sees it as a public health issue, like smoking or malnutrition¹⁵. Mr. Davies says policy makers¹⁶ usually base public health decisions on scientific research. But I n the case of gun control, policy makers do not have very much research to consider.

"The research into gun control has not been completely free and open in recent years."

Mr. Davies says the last research on gun-related issues that had a “real impact” appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in the 1990s. He says the research suggested that the risk of violent deaths was almost three times greater for people in homes with a gun. And the risk of suicide was almost five times greater, compared to homes without a gun.

Since that study, Mr. Davies says money for research on gun-related issues in the United States has decreased. He says pressure by the National Rifle Association helped stop government-funded gun research in the late 1990s.

The National Rifle Association represents at least 3.5 million gun owners and manufacturers. The NRA strongly supports gun ownership rights. It said the proposed government-supported research was an attempt to win public support for gun control.

Mr. Davies says there were also efforts to pass legislation to prevent doctors from asking their patients about guns in their homes.

“If there was freedom to do more research in this area, whatever decision might be made would be more informed. And any policy would be evidence based. And at the moment there is not the complete open freedom for that to happen.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 31,000 people were killed by guns in the United States in 2010. That is the most recent year for which officials have made a final count. Writing in the BMJ, Mr. Davies says, “If a disease killed 31,000 people a year there would be a national outcry over such restrictions¹⁷ on research.”

One shooting that received national attention last year was that of Trayvon Martin. He was a 17-year-old high school student in Florida. Last February, he was visiting his father in the town of Sanford. A neighborhood watch volunteer saw Mr. Martin walking in the neighborhood and called the police to say he looked suspicious. The police told George Zimmerman to stay in his car and not follow him. But Mr. Zimmerman followed Trayvon Martin, and ended up shooting him. Mr. Martin was unarmed. Mr. Zimmerman said the young man attacked him and that he fired in self-defense.

Students at the University of Miami wanted to honor Trayvon Martin on the recent first anniversary of his death. They organized a poetry reading in his memory.

“Never in a thousand years would I believe death will follow me/ Corner me and end the years of my life / What an evil twist on reality.”

Several poets talked about how race might have influenced the case. Trayvon Martin was black. George Zimmerman is white and Hispanic. Civil rights leaders suggested that he would have faced criminal charges immediately if the teenager had been white. Mr. Zimmerman was eventually charged with second degree murder. His trial is planned for June. 

In January of 2011, a young man killed six people and wounded 13 others in Arizona. The wounded included Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She survived a bullet to her head, but the severe injuries prevented her from seeking another term. In January the former representative spoke¹⁹ at congressional hearings on gun control.

“Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important. Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. Too many children.”

Gabby Giffords was talking about the attack that has probably most focused the nation’s attention on gun violence. That is, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A 20-year-old man, armed with his mother's guns, killed his mother, then went to the school and opened fire on the children. The violence ended when he killed himself as police rushed to the school. 

Since the Sandy Hook shootings, several groups have suggested measures to reduce gun violence. Some activists are pushing for a ban on certain kinds of guns, such as the military-style assault rifles used at Sandy Hook and in other mass shootings. Activists also want to ban ammunition²⁰ magazines that hold a large number of bullets. They argue that ordinary citizens do not need these kinds of weapons, even for hunting animals or for their own safety. 

Yet gun rights advocates say guns are not the problem.

“A gun is a tool. The problem is the criminal. Criminals operate outside the system.”

Wayne LaPierre is a top official at the National Rifle Association. He has said he will not support any of the proposed limits on guns. Instead, Mr. LaPierre has called for more guns, especially in schools, for self-defense.

Gary Ward⁷ is a gun rights advocate.

“If there was one teacher or one principal armed that could have come in and ended the violence with one shot—with one shot could have saved dozens of children.”

Erich Pratt with the group Gun Owners of America agrees. He says more armed citizens would help prevent tragedies like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Mr. Pratt says if a gunman enters a building, no one has time to wait for police to come.

“If I had a kid in that school, I would want an adult, a good person with a gun. I would want them to take care of the situation if they could.”

Bob Krupicka is a lawmaker from Virginia. In his state, in 2007, a 23-year-old student with a history of mental illness killed 32 people at Virginia Tech, then killed himself.

“I think instead of arming our teachers with guns, we should be arming our teachers with tools to identify mental health issues in their school community.”

After the Sandy Hook school shootings, a coalition²¹ of mental health experts wrote to President Obama and to Congress. They asked the elected officials for immediate¹⁸ health policy reforms and new protections against acts of violence. They also called on Congress to expand mental health and substance abuse treatment programs.

But New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer says any solution to gun violence has to include some measures against guns.

“Trying to prevent shootings in schools without talking about guns is like trying to prevent lung cancer without talking about cigarettes.”

However, Republican Se nator John Barrasso from Wyoming says he is not sure that limiting access to guns is the right answer. He says he does not expect Congress to pass gun control legislation, despite all the recent attention on gun violence.

“We need real solutions to a significant problem in our country, and I’m not sure that passing another law in Washington is going to actually find a real solution.”

Mr. Barrasso says he wants President Obama and Congress instead to consider other ways to limit violence in American society and culture.

Our program was written by Onka Dekker and produced by Kelly Jean Kelly. I’m Jim Tedder.

1 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

2 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

4 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

5 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

6 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

7 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

8 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

9 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

10 infringed   

v.违反（规章等）( infringe的过去式和过去分词 )；侵犯（某人的权利）；侵害（某人的自由、权益等）

参考例句：

• Wherever the troops went, they never infringed on the people's interests. 大军过处，秋毫无犯。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was arrested on a charge of having infringed the Election Law. 他因被指控触犯选举法而被拘捕。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

12 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

14 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

15 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

16 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

18 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

19 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

20 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

21 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。