Cartoons Supporting Gun Control

Team Member: Chelsea Hunter

Publication: theliberaloc.com
Date: February 7, 2013
Cartoonist: N/A
U.S. or International: U.S.
Title of Cartoon: Different Childhood Priorities in Different Places 

Cartoon Number: 1

What action is taking place in the cartoon? On the left side there is a happy child with a teddy bear in his arms sitting on his bed in the middle of his neat and tidy room. On the right side there is an innocent looking, freckle-faced boy sitting in a disorderly room looking down at the gun he is holding.

What is the context? The context is that here in the U.S. many citizens adamantly believe in the right to bear arms. In many cases that belief has sparked radical demonstrations by gun rights activists. The cartoonist depicts images of a young child hugging a gun to his chest. This shows criticism to the age of a child carrying learning how to use a weapon, but the question remains: how young is too young to educate a child on what to do if they come across a gun?

Positive framing of stricter gun control laws.
Framing is supportive of those in favor for increased gun control.
Framing is opposed to those who are against increased gun control laws.

What reality is constructed/framed about stricter gun control laws? This cartoon is constructed to show that there needs to be limitations on who has access to guns. The newspaper headline says "6-year-old shoots 6-year-old" and brings attention that many accidental shootings are caused by guns falling into the wrong hands. While this may be true, the artist has somewhat distorted the facts. Fundamental human rights listed in our constitution, such as the right to bear arms, are prohibited to children. Yet, the artist does a good job of getting the point across.

Team Member Name: Chelsea Powell and Paul Christiansen

Publication: The New York Observer

Date: March 3, 2007
Cartoonist: R.J. Matson
U.S. or International:  U.S.

Title of Cartoon: Giuliani and Gun Control

Cartoon Number: 2

What action is taking place in the cartoon? It shows two men shooting shotguns during hunting season. One of the men doesn't have control over the gun and is shooting the cap off the other man.

What is the context? The cartoonist shows that even people who think they understand guns don’t always handle them with more safety than those inexperienced with guns. On a deeper contextual level, Giuliani is shown saying he never "flip-flopped" on the issue of Second Amendment rights even though he supported increased gun control while serving as mayor.

Positive framing of stricter gun control laws.
Framing is supportive of those in favor for increased gun control.
Framing is opposed to those who are against increased gun control laws.

What reality is constructed/framed about stricter gun control laws?

The men in the cartoon actually are represented as Dick Cheney, vice president during the George W. Bush presidency, and Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York. Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter in an infamous hunting excursion in 2006. Here, Giuliani is the victim of the accidental shot.Giuliani was a candidate in the Republican primaries in 2007 and he spoke to members of the NRA to convince them he was the candidate for them. These attempts proved unsuccessful because he was trying to cater to both sides of the gun debate; Giuliani had once supported increased gun control while serving as New York City's mayor but called for less gun control when he began campaigning for the presidential race.

Here, Giuliani is being "accidentally" shot down by Dick Cheney, a strong supporter and member of the NRA. This mock-quote has Giuliani calling for guns to be taken off the street and put into the hands of "responsible Republicans." It's ironic because Cheney had one gun accident before and he was one of the leaders of the Republican Party at the time.

The cartoonist is making fun of Republicans, especially Dick Cheney and Rudy Giuliani. In spite of the Second Amendment rights, Republicans and gun advocates don't necessarily know what they’re doing or what they are talking about. So even though this is an older cartoon, it still applies to what’s going on today because both political parties have different stances on the issue of gun control but neither group really knows or understands what is best for our country.

Team Member Name: Chelsea Hunter
Publication: The Khaleej Times

Date: February 8, 2013
Cartoonist: Paresh Nath
U.S. or International:  International

Title of Cartoon: Gun Culture and Militants

Cartoon Number: 3

What action is taking place in the cartoon? There is a map of the United States and a person assembling guns with “U.S. Gun Culture” written on the t-shirt. There are also doors opening on the map and people receiving firearms.

What is the context? The context is that the United State may be producing guns and putting them into the wrong hands.

The Arizona Field Office of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted a series of sting operations under the code name Fast and Furious. These "gunwalking" operations were intended to stem the flow of firearms into Mexico by interdicting straw purchasers and gun traffickers within the U.S. by purposely allowing licensed U.S. firearms dealers to sell guns to illegal buyers. The plan was to track the weapons to Mexican drug cartels and their leaders so that problem could be tackled.

Over time, nearly 2,000 arms were sold to suspected illegal straw purchasers through the program but the ATF didn't follow up and track the weapons to the intended cartel targets. On the evening of December 14, 2010, U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was shot and killed during a firefight between U.S. Border Patrol agents and five suspected illegal immigrants. After the shooting, two semi-automatic weapons were retrieved and traced to a Phoenix gun shop that had been used in the program.

Positive framing of stricter gun control laws.
Framing is supportive of those in favor for increased gun control.
Framing is opposed to those who are against increased gun control laws.

What reality is constructed/framed about stricter gun control laws?

The cartoon is referring to the fact that U.S. gun culture may be fueling the drug and gang problems south of the border. In efforts to have more control over guns, we are actually adapting them to our own gun culture that is heavily saturated with guns and violence. We are basically handing the most violent members of a foreign society more ways to continue being violent, causing more harm than good. People like Brian Terry are caught in the middle and those deaths are likely preventable.

Team Member Name: Paul Christiansen

Publication: The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Date: January 16, 2013
Cartoonist: Steve Sack
U.S. or International:  U.S.

Title of Cartoon: Well Regulated Gun Rights

Cartoon Number: 4

What action is taking place in the cartoon? In this cartoon, the cartoonist asks the viewer to “Pick the Well-Regulated Militia” from two sources. The minute-man carries a single shot muzzle-loading rifle and the hundreds-of-rounds-per-minute man is shown carrying an automatic weapon complete with a high-capacity magazine.

What is the context? The context of the cartoon is in regards to a section of the Second Amendment of the United States of America. The cartoonist wonders what constitutes a well-regulated militia. This is something that’s been debated by advocates for and against gun control laws. Advocates for gun control say automatic weapons aren't needed while those against gun control said it’s “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” under the constitution.

Positive framing of stricter gun control laws.
Framing is supportive of those in favor for increased gun control.
Framing is opposed to those who are against increased gun control laws.

What reality is constructed/framed about stricter gun control laws? The cartoonist plays on his own beliefs, showing stricter gun control as something that’s needed because many Americans are arming themselves to the point of excess. The constitution says a well-regulated militia is necessary to the safety of the United States. The individual with the assault rifle — one nearly as large as the man is — is not really regulated because of the capacity in the magazine and the size of the weapon.

Team Member Name: Chelsea Hunter
Publication: Tribune Media Services

Date: February 22, 2013
Cartoonist: Chan Lowe
U.S. or International:  U.S.

Title of Cartoon: Myths We Hang Onto Way Longer Than We Should

Cartoon Number: 5

What action is taking place in the cartoon?  This cartoon shows two controversial things taken from recent American pop culture. They classify Manti Te'o's dead girlfriend and Lance Armstrong's drug-free success as "myths" the majority of U.S. citizens have come to believe are true. These two myths were held by the public but now that they have been disprove, it's hard for people to let go.

The third myth presented here is "Guns don't kill people; people kill people." This way of thinking has been used and argued in countless gun debates by gun advocates. The cartoonist shares his opinion here, classifying the gun myth with the previous two ideas proven to be false.

What is the context? The context is that media portrays things a certain way, but Americans can still choose to believe what they wish even when the truth may be exposed.

Positive framing of stricter gun control laws.
Framing is supportive of those in favor for increased gun control.
Framing is opposed to those who are against increased gun control laws.

What reality is constructed/framed about stricter gun control laws? The cartoonist is somewhat inserting his own beliefs and using other events that happened as a way to portray gun control. Though the cartoonist is only presenting a half truth in his reference to guns. While it may be true that guns are the most common weapon used in murders and accidental killings, it isn't guns themselves that kill the people. Firearms need people to operate them and if guns were eliminated, there would still be other weapons and ways to kill people.

Perhaps there's something better to say: "Guns don't kill people, gun culture does."

Team Member Name: Chelsea Hunter
Publication: The Denver Post

Date: January 13, 2011
Cartoonist: Mike Keefe
U.S. or International:  U.S.

Title of Cartoon: N/A

Cartoon Number: 6

What action is taking place in the cartoon? An NRA lobbyist has his finger on a trigger of a “semi-automatic” gun shaped like the United States House of Representatives, home of Congress.

What is the context? Because the lobbyist has to use Congress to “shoot down” gun control, the context of this cartoon is that the NRA doesn't take the time to see the other side of the arguments for those looking to restrict gun laws. They are only looking to keep the Second Amendment intact and are not negotiable on the matter. The gun is “semi-automatic” because the NRA is automatically against anything in favor of gun control. It needs a weapon that can get the job done quickly. The lobbyists say gun control doesn't work and they need Congress to agree in order to make sure it doesn't work.

Positive framing of stricter gun control laws.
Framing is supportive of those in favor for increased gun control.
Framing is opposed to those who are against increased gun control laws.

What reality is constructed/framed about stricter gun control laws? The reality behind this cartoon is that since the beginning of this country’s history we've had the right to bear arms. Congress puts laws into motion and passes bills. But lobbyists for organizations such as the NRA frequently use Congress as a weapon against those who didn't agree with them, shooting down or passing new laws as quickly as possible.

Team Member Name: McCall Bulloch

Publication: Tulsa World

Date: February 8, 2013
Cartoonist: Bruce Plante
U.S. or International:  U.S.

Title of Cartoon: Teachers Packing Heat

Cartoon Number: 7

What action is taking place in the cartoon? A boy is shown in a classroom dropping a book that makes a loud noise. It then shows the same boy and his classmates with their arms raised and teachers with guns.

What is the context? The context of the cartoon refers to the NRA and supporters of less gun control who believe that instead of restricting gun control they can make incidents like the Newtown shooting less common by arming teachers, making schools a "safer" place. This idea was spearheaded by Texas Republicans soon after the Newtown tragedy. 

Positive framing of stricter gun control laws.
Framing is supportive of those in favor for increased gun control.
Framing is opposed to those who are against increased gun control laws.

What reality is constructed/framed about stricter gun control laws? The cartoonist has highly exaggerated the result of teachers carrying guns in schools to portray the idea as problematic. Already today, many educators are on edge and very paranoid with recent shootings. Obviously a commonplace noise wouldn't cause such a ruckus or be mistaken for a gun going off, but the cartoon highlights that teachers are already on edge so much that allowing guns in schools could potentially cause more problems than before. 

Team Member Name: Chelsea Hunter

Publication: Cagle Cartoons

Date: January 28, 2013
Cartoonist: Peter Pismestrovic
U.S. or International:  International

Title of Cartoon: Gift with Love

Cartoon Number: 8

What action is taking place in the cartoon? A man is giving a baby a pistol wrapped up as a present.

What is the context? The context refers to NRA lobbyists and how the organization is continually saying the rights stated in the Second Amendment apply to everyone and should not be taken away or changed.

Positive framing of stricter gun control laws.
Framing is supportive of those in favor for increased gun control.
Framing is opposed to those who are against increased gun control laws.

What reality is constructed/framed about stricter gun control laws? The cartoonist uses heavy dramatization to show how invalid the NRA’s arguments for gun control are. If the country were to follow through and pass laws allowing everyone access to firearms. To do that would be like giving a child a gun which is as dangerous and ridiculous as smoking a cigar around a newborn child.