Intro

The Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, addressed the media following the Sandy Hook Massacre and gave his opinion on what needs to be done now in order to keep this unspeakable crime from being repeated. Author Patricia Roberts Miller Explains the different rules of discourse which are needed in order to have a successful argument. Miller explains that demagoguery is “polarizing propaganda that motivates members of an ingroup to hate and scapegoat some outgroup, largely by promising certainty, stability, and what Erich Fromm famously called ‘an escape from freedom’”(Miller 462). In this essay I will use Millers text to help me analyze LaPierre’s speech. La Pierre’s speech takes place in the wake of the Sandy Hook School Shooting. The Sandy Hook shooting is where a young man, Adam Lanza, shot 20 children and 6 staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut. When he was confronted by police, he committed suicide and this is one of the greatest tragedies to happen to this country in years. LaPierre is speaking towards those people who are calling for greater restrictions on gun ownership. LaPierres main claim in his speech is that Americans must oprotect their children at their schools with armed guards. He says that we protect the most important things in our lives with armed men and women so why not the future of America, the children. Another claim that LaPierre has is that the blame for acts of violence such as these should be placed partially on the media. Americans witness such atrocious acts of crime in movies, shows and games ranging from minor crimes to major crimes such as rape and murder. Obviously this must have some psychological impact on some people.