I wanted to focus this week on discussing the tragic mass
shootings that seem to invade our country’s sense of safety and stability every
few months. The latest of these,
of course, is the shooting at the Washington, D.C. navy yard.
According to motherjones.com,
the U.S. experienced several mass shootings in the 1990s, several in the 2000s,
but in the last three years, we have suffered from 12 of these tragedies. Even one shooting is obviously too
much, which is why this topic should elicit some passionate discussions amongst
your students.
On the morning of 16 September 2013, Aaron Alexis opened
fire on employees at a U.S. navy yard in Washington, D.C. Before being finally gunned down by
police, he killed 12 people and injured 8 more.
He was able to gain access to the naval yard because he had
a security clearance. In the time
leading up to the attack, investigators have discovered several disconcerting
episodes in Alexis’ past, which many believe should have raised a red
flag. As a result, the
conversation about how to prevent further such attacks has focused on improved
background checks for government contractors and possible new gun regulation.
The video for this lesson is included here and a link is
also included in the PowerPoint presentation on the free download.
CONNECT IT TO YOUR CLASSROOM
- The wording of the Second Amendment
- Other rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights
- Supreme Court cases related to the Second Amendment, especially District of Columbia v. Heller
- How lobbies influence legislation (in this case, most notably the National Rifle Association NRA)
- Current gun regulation proposals, such as a firearms registry and the limiting of magazine sizes
DOWNLOAD THIS FREE LESSON NOW!
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I hope you and your class find this lesson engaging and
invigorating. Enjoy!
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