Deck 10: Crime, Guns, and Rights

Question 1

Polsby argues that guns cause violence and therefore should be banned.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Polsby argues that the continued proliferation of gun-control laws almost certainly causes crime and violence.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Polsby notes that it is easy to count the number of people who have been harmed by gun violence but it is not as easy to count the number of people who have been saved from harm by gun ownership.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Polsby asks, which is true: that guns increase crime or that fear of crime causes people to purchase guns?

Question 5

What does Polsby identify as the root cause of crime?

A) Gun ownership.
B) A natural disposition toward violence inherent in the criminal mind.
C) The fact that for certain members of society, predation is a rational occupational choice.
D) All of the above

Question 6

Dixon argues that gun control laws are ineffective.

Question 7

Dixon supports the Brady Bill.

Question 8

Dixon argues that a ban on handguns does not represent an infringement on personal liberty because citizens are not responsible for their own protection-it is the job of the police to protect the citizenry.

Question 9

Huemer argues that individuals have a right to own firearms and that this right is not overridden by utilitarian considerations.

Question 10

Humer argues that Dixon's utilitarian calculus which favors a ban on handguns fails to take into consideration the recreational value of collecting and shooting guns.

Question 11

Which of the following best represents Polsby's position?

A) The Second Amendment represents an absolute right to keep and bear arms.
B) The Second Amendment affirms the right of militias to keep and bear arms, but since the U.S. has a standing army, the Second Amendment is no longer relevant.
C) Arguments supporting gun bans rest on the assumption that guns cause violence. This assumption if faulty. Therefore there is no reasonable justification for banning guns.
D) All of the above

Question 12

What evidence does Polsby cite for his claim that gun control laws don't work?

A) Efforts to curtail the supply of firearms inflict collateral damage on freedom and privacy interests.
B) Gun control laws impact law-abiding citizens negatively but criminals will always have access to guns via illicit markets.
C) Gun control laws amount to an unreasonable tax on firearms-a tax both on time and money.
D) All of the above

Question 13

Dixon's argument for banning handguns rests on this ethical theory.

A) Theory of Natural Law
B) Utilitarianism
C) Kantianism
D) Social Contract Theory

Question 14

Dixon contends that a high rate of handgun ownership is one of the causes of high rate of homicide. How does Pulsby respond to this claim?

A) Correlation does not imply causation.
B) It is more likely that increases in crime lead law-abiding citizens to purchase handguns in order to protect themselves, their property and their families.
C) Guns are not the root cause of crime-the fact is that for many people, crime represents their best economic option.
D) All of the above

Question 15

Which of the following does Dixon argue is the strongest objection to handgun prohibition?

A) The suggested prohibition of handguns represented a gross violation the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.
B) The suggested prohibition of handguns would cause an increase in violent crime by denying peaceful citizens the use of handguns in defending themselves, their families and their property.
C) Even a cursory historical analysis of history shows that the first step in tyranny is to disarm the people-e.g., Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Mussolini.
D) Laws against gun ownership are ineffective because criminals do not respect the law.

Question 16

Which of the following best represents Dixon's position?

A) Banning handguns is a defensible restriction on people's liberty.
B) Banning handguns in not a defensible restriction on people's liberty.
C) Banning assault rifles is a defensible restriction on people's liberty.
D) Banning both handguns and assault rifles is a defensible restriction on people's liberty.

Question 17

Which of the following best represents Huemer's position?

A) Banning handguns is a defensible restriction on people's liberty.
B) The benefits of gun bans outweigh the violation of liberty such bans impose.
C) The benefits of private gun ownership overshadow the harms caused by gun ownership.
D) The right to bear arms, like any other right, is subject to limitations.

Question 18

Dixon argues that the right to self-defense does not imply the right to own a gun. How does Huemer respond?

A) Huemer agrees that the right to self-defense does not imply the right to gun ownership. But he contends that talk of self-defense is irrelevant because the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution implies the right to bear arms.
B) Huemer argues that a ban on handguns would be a significant violation of the right of self-defense.
C) Huemer agrees that the right to self-defense does not imply the right to own a gun; however, Huemer argues that there are other, more weightly considerations in favor of gun ownership.
D) All of the above

Question 19

On what grounds does Huemer argue for concealed carry of handguns?

A) Permitting citizens to carry concealed weapons reduces crime.
B) Few citizens would purchase handguns unless they could carry them concealed.
C) It is highly unlikely that law abiding citizens would carry unless they had the right to carry concealed.
D) All of the above

Question 20

The Second Amendment of the United States' Constitution reads, "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." What does "shall not be infringed" mean?

Question 21

Dixon argues that handguns increase homicide and violent crime. How does Pulsby respond to this claim? Do you think an inanimate object such as a gun or a hammer can "cause" a person to commit a crime?

Question 22

What does Pulsby identify as the root cause of crime? Do you agree or disagree with his assessment?

Question 23

If lack of economic opportunity induces criminals to commit crime, to what extent should "we the people" provide would-be criminals with economic opportunities? Do you think forcing tax-paying citizens to fund "re-education programs" for would-be criminals be as much of a violation of liberty as depriving Americans of their right to have and bear arms?

Question 24

Consider the following argument: obesity kills more Americans than firearms. Should we then outlaw Twinkies and Coca Cola?

Question 25

Consider the following quote, often attributed to Ben Franklin. "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Do you think considerations of safety warrant the invasion of liberty inherent in gun control laws? Defend your position.

Question 26

Assess the implications of Mill's harm principle on the issue of gun control. Do guns pose a direct threat to the welfare of society?

Question 27

Dixon argues that the right to self-defense does not entail the right to own handgun. Huemer counters this claim, arguing that the concealed carry of handguns is an important factor in self-defense-after all, it is unlikely that citizens are going to carry rifles and shotguns as concealed weapons. Do you think laws permitting the concealed carry of handgun are important for our right to self-defense?

Question 28

Huemer claims that Dixon's utilitarian calculations in favor of banning handguns fail to take into consideration the recreational value of guns. Do you think the recreational value of guns represents a significant consideration?

Question 29

Do individuals have a right to self-defense? What limits may society justly pose on an individual's right to self-defense?