Discussion questions:
- Are guns legal in your country? Why / why not?
- Do you agree with this law?
- Is the majority of people in your country against or in favor of gun ownership?
- In which country is it legal / illegal to own a gun?
- Do you own / have you ever handled a gun?
- In an emergency (e.g. zombie apocalypse), would you know how to use one?
- Have you ever heard gunfire?
- Tell me about incidents you’ve heard about, involving guns. (Expand via the 5 “wh-” questions)
- (After reading an the article) Why is President Obama so concerned about gun violence?
- In the US, the right to own a gun is in their Constitution; if a new constitution were drawn up now, would that still be part of it?
- He mentioned “smart gun technology” – what do you think that means?
- “More guns = more gun violence” – what do you think about this statement?
- Some people argue that they have the right to protect themselves and that’s why they want to have a gun; what is your opinion on this?
- How easy is it to get a gun in your country? (Legally & illegally)
Material:
I had the student read the following short article:
- Obama issues executive order on curbing gun violence from the Headlines News website.
Vocabulary that came up:
Against
In favor of
Step on (Constitutional rights)
Enforcement
Grammar spotlight:
have you ever… (present perfect)
If a new constitution were drawn up, would gun ownership… (Second conditional)
Related topics:
Crime
War
Government regulation
Other potential resources:
John Oliver had a great report on gun control on The Daily Show where he spoke to an American Republican gun lobbyist Philip van Cleave as well as the Australian Prime Minister. This video would be more appropriate for advanced learners, because of the accents and how fast people are talking.
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