This is to be an argumentative essay about the intersection of the topics of gun control and mental illness.
Introduction (one paragraph)
Your first paragraph is your introduction. This paragraph should end with a Thesis Statement. My thesis statement is “When it comes to gun violence and mental illness correlation does not equal causation.”
The essay overall needs to encompass the idea that that lax gun laws are to blame for gun violence, not mental illness, and that the mentally ill are unfairly stigmatized. As such, it is important to fix existing laws rather than create new ones that may make mentally ill people reluctant to seek treatment. Furthermore, disorders such as bipolar and depression are both covered under the American’s with Disabilities ACT so restricting the rights of people with treatable mental illness based on crimes that the population has presupposed that they may commit is discriminatory and ableist.
Background (minimum one paragraph) –
The background is meant to establish context on the controversy surrounding the topic, with the aim of making the argument points easier to understand. What is the issue at hand? What details do the readers need in order to enter this “conversation”? Is there any important historical context or definitions of key and/or unfamiliar terms or concepts to share?
Argument (3 Reasons minimum) –
#1 People with mental health issues are widely considered by the public to be violent but, theyre usually not.
#2 The real issue is lax gun laws, not mental illness.
#3 Blaming mental illness does not fix the problem.
This section of the essay consists of the Reasons/Claims that support the thesis. It must have a minimum of three Reason paragraphs (one paragraph per reason). It may have an additional paragraph or two if the content or source material seems too long and would benefit from this organization. Note: the use of transitions should make it clear when you are continuing the same point in a new paragraph versus starting a new Reason/Claim.
