37. When a 5-Year-Old Shoots a 2-Year-Old, Should Their Parents Be Prosecuted for Negligence?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/05/06/crickett_keystone_sporting_arms_when_a_5_year_old_shoots_a_2_year_old_should.html

On Monday May 6, Slate Magazine's crime correspondent Justin Peters writes an article about the consequences of gun control. The first paragraph is a brief attention calling story about another article Peters had written previously. Within the story, the author expands its details, questioning whether or not the five-year-old Kentucky child's parents are responsible for his sister's, also their daughter's death. When describing the parent's attitude in the second paragraph, as of being "lackadaisical," it is clear that the author does not really look up to them, but rather, makes a slight criticism of their ignorance for storing the rifle "in a corner" and not a "gun safe, or a locked closet." In addition, the author alludes to another story about the state's law (where the incident took place), and according to the New York Times, he reveals that the parents will not be held liable for the death. In the third paragraph, the author makes a statement that jailing the parents would be considerably meaningless; next, however, Peters considers the negative side of not holding a criminal prosecution, and says it "indicates a threadbare state of the various laws that are supposed to help prevend child gun violence in this country." In the following paragraph, Peters compares and contrasts the laws in different states, and later, gives his view of each state having their own laws.

The author's purpose for this article is to inform and also lament about the strength of Kentucky's laws regarding the punishments that result from failure in gun control. The first person narration contributes to the article in that the author presents his views on the issue, and does not clearly write in an unbiased stand. The strong diction, especially the adjectives such as "baffling," and "lackadaisical," reveals his tone of being somewhat critical, yet opinionated. The allusions to authorities and well respected sources contribute to his article in making it credible and researched. The last paragraph reveals the author's true feelings of the states having their separate laws. Despite the fact that that is what makes the US unique, Peters considers unfortunate that specific laws are not reinforced. Finally, he concludes saying that emphasizing specific factors are a "small but effective step toward reducing the number of accidental gun deaths in this country."