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Signature Assignment
Jack Meeks
PHIL 1250-001
Instructor: Jane Drexler

Table of contents

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1 .Title page
2 .Table of contents
3 .Introduction
4 .Argument Diagram
5 .Responding with fallacies
6 - 7..Responding for real
8 -9...Argument reflection and fallacy reflection
10-13..Copy of Zachary Stones New York Times article.

For my signature assignment, I have chosen to analyze/critique an argument

that showed up on the New York Times opinion section less than 24 hours ago.

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Since then it has been spreading very rapidly across the internet. The writer of the
article is named Zachary Stone. He is a 22 year old college senior at University of
Texas at Austin, and is the founder of the group University of Texas Students
Against Guns on Campus and often expresses the dangers of allowing firearms on
campus with his peers and followers. That should be enough backstory of the
writer, so the article I have chosen for this assignment is called Im a responsible
gun owner? Seriously?
Stone went through the process of getting registered to legally conceal a
handgun. You must be thinking with such anti-gun views, why would he do such a
thing? He did it ironically, and to prove a point. His main argument is that the
process of licensing, certifying, and permitting people to conceal a handgun by the
stated is flawed because it is too easy, and the standards are too low. Stone
describes that he has never handled a gun, let alone fired one. He has no idea how
to operate them, and he even said he was scared of them. He attended the 6 hour
class to get certified to conceal a handgun, which is followed by a written exam and
some live fire testing. He attended the class, which was the easy part. He then
aced the written exam. But then when he went to the live fire test, he struggled a
lot. He showed little to know knowledge of how to handle a firearm, he shot very
poorly and missed a lot, but he passed anyway. The instructors got him legally
certified to conceal a handgun in public.
Zachary Stone concludes his article quoting himself at a separate event. He
says Given that the system allows me lacking firearm experience to get a
license, would you be comfortable if we sat with each other in class upon learning
Im secretly carrying a gun?

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The process to get

registered to conceal a
handgun is flawed.

The course does not

teach you the
necessary skills.

It is too easy and

passing doesnt
necessarily mean you
are responsible

It takes more training

to become a manicurist
than it does to carry a
Smith and Wesson

I had never
touched a
gun

Knowing nothing
about guns, I should
have failed, but I
Passed the first try

The course
included
I did no
not
information
know whaton
to
how expect
to manage
adrenaline or

The course
included no
information on
how to neutralize
an active shooter.

I performed
poorly in live
fire exercise

The course
included no
information on
how to deal with
moving targets

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Dear Zachary Stone,

I have read your article about the various flaws of the process
of registering, permitting, and licensing individuals to get a concealed carry permit.
I have a question for you. Why do you hate America? It clearly says in our second
amendment rights that we have the right to bear arms. If you oppose the second
amendment, then you oppose the constitution. And if you oppose the constitution,
then you hate America!
If the process for getting a concealed carry permit gets any
more difficult, then less law abiding citizens will be carrying hand guns. If less law
abiding citizens are carrying handguns, then the general public will be left virtually
defenseless. If we cannot defend ourselves, then the criminals will have all the
power and our government will turn to anarchy.
Did you know that a concealed carrier stopped a mass
shooting in Chicago in April of this year? Imagine if the course was too difficult and
he never acquired his concealed carry permit. That shooter could have killed so
many people in a rampage that could only be stopped by the police, who were
absent at the scene.
Besides, there is no way the course is too easy. My next door
neighbor and his friend took the course and they failed! Therefor there has to be a
lot of people out there who fail the test. If so many people fail it, then its got to be
difficult and challenging.

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Why should I even take what you are saying seriously? No
one should listen to your argument because you havent even touched a gun before
the course and know nothing about them.
--Jack Meeks

Dear Zachary Stone,

Your article Im a responsible gun owner? Seriously? brings
up a lot of valid points about the registration system of concealed carry permits.
You argue that it is too easy to get registered to carry a concealed handgun. In turn,
you say that the system is flawed because of it. You describe that knowing nothing
about handguns, and performing poorly with them is still enough to get a passing
grade and legally certified to carry a handgun, and that the course does not teach
you the required skills you need to operate a handgun. However, there are a few
problems I have with your argument and concerns for our system of licensing
concealed carry holders. The concealed carry permit course is not in place to teach
you the know-how of everything firearms (specifically handguns in this case), which
is what you were expecting.
The purpose of the course is to teach you the laws
surrounding concealed carry, and when it is appropriate to use your handgun.
Which according to your article, you DID learn about these topics. One of the things
the course is supposed to cover is the appropriate places to carry. You seemed
surprised upon learning that it is totally legal to carry your handgun in City Hall,
University Buildings, and Elementary School parking lots. However, that is the law.
It is totally legal to carry your weapon there.

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You described a moment that happened in your class
regarding the appropriate times to use your handgun, again you seemed surprised
at what you learned. Your concealed weapon must only be used in situations of
immediate self-preservation and defense. Recall the time your classmate asked
But what if a man who just attacked me or my wife is running away? I can shoot
him, right? And your instructor replied with That would be murder. Whether you
like it or not, that is the law. If your assailant is running away, he is no longer a
threat to you. In turn you are no longer within your right to defend yourself with
your handgun.
Once you got to the live fire exercises, you made it clear you
performed very poorly. But I must say again, the course is not there to teach you
how to shoot well. The live fire exercise is merely in place to get you comfortable
with your weapon. Even though you made it very clear you were unclear how to
use a handgun in the beginning, and were not confident at all in your skills, you did
indeed get comfortable with your weapon. I quote from your article I did pretty
well in the end I got 216 [out of 250] points. That is a solid B grade.
In conclusion, I assert that the process by which the state
certifies, licenses, and permits its citizens to conceal a handgun for personal
protection is not flawed. You had no experience going into the concealed carry
course, but contrary to what you think, the course taught you what you needed to
know. The classroom section is in place to teach you the laws surrounding
concealed carry, and how to conceal carry. NOT how to shoot. The live-fire exercise
is also not meant to teach you how to shoot. You even said yourself that I should
have had weapons training before I applied. The live-fire exercise is meant to get
you comfortable with your weapon. And judging by your test scores, you did indeed

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get very comfortable with your glock. You did very well. Your experience with the
concealed carry course taught you a lot more than you think
Ill leave you by addressing the final line in your article. You
addressed the audience Given that the system allows me lacking firearm
experience to get a license, would you be comfortable if we sat with each other in
class, upon learning Im secretly carrying a gun? I will gladly answer your question.
Yes, I would be comfortable with it. Your question is misleading and has nothing to
do with your original argument. Being unskilled with a handgun has nothing to do
with your intent to use it maliciously against your classmates.

---- Jack Meeks

Given my argument above, I believe I responded to Zachary
Stones arguments fairly with sound counter arguments. I responded directly to his
argument. My argument wasnt as organized as it could be. I had one conclusion,
with two premises. Each premise had a few sub-premises as well. Thats where I
could use some work.
The final paragraph of my argument could be omitted entirely.
It has nothing to do with my main argument and is merely rhetoric. If anything my
final paragraph could be a new argument entirely. I identified his final question as a
little fallacious and decided to address it directly, and call him out on it. Other than
that, I think my argument is sound, valid, and is rid of any fallacies.
In my fake response, I purposefully used 5 fallacies to
poorly respond to Stones argument. In order, I used the complex question fallacy,

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the slippery slope fallacy, appeal to pity, hasty generalization, and finally, a
simple ad hominem attack.
Complex question: Why do you hate America? I dont give
my audience a fair chance to respond. The fact that Stone hates America or not is
not a stated and documented fact. I use the complex question to make Stone sound
bad, and therefore make it easier to disregard his argument.
Slippery slope: I stated that with a more difficult CCW course,
eventually will come all out government anarchy. This is fallacious because I am
making a lot of assumptions based on no evidence. They are all what-if
statements. Since there is no evidence to back up my claim, I can claim anything to
make the other party sound bad, and make his argument easily disregarded.
Appeal to pity: Would you have the deaths of the
unprotected on your conscience? The way I used it is almost borderline slippery
slope. But instead of ending in chaos, I put the death of innocent lives on the head
of Mr. Stone.
Hasty Generalization: I used a very small sample to make a
very broad conclusion. Two neighbors failing the test when thousands of people
take it every year is not enough to make a conclusion that a lot of people fail the
test.
Ad Hominem: I disregard Stones argument by attacking him
directly with an insult. You dont know guns, your argument shouldnt be listened
to.

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Austin, Tex. WHAT are you doing?

I had just shot a gun for the first time. The instructor was yelling at
me because he couldnt understand how a 22-year-old missed a
target some four feet tall and two feet wide, standing only nine feet
away. But he was completely at ease when, 10 minutes later, he
certified me for a concealed handgun license application.
In late May, after school let out, the Texas Legislature passed a bill
that, among other things, authorized individuals with concealed
handgun licenses to carry firearms in most college buildings.
Campus carry was a hard-fought victory for Republicans. My
school the University of Texas at Austin continues to largely
oppose the law. Administrators, the student government and the
faculty council have all publicly regretted our legal reality. We dont

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like it that students 21 or older can get a license, buy a gun and bring
that gun to class. One clever undergraduates protest involves
students bringing sex toys to school because, unlike guns, they are
not allowed on campus.
On behalf of our student government, I moderated a debate in
November between the University Democrats and the College
Republicans. My goal was to get past litigating the merits of campus
carry. Considering our governors and legislators sympathies, the
law is here to stay; we should responsibly approach the challenges it
presents.
One of these challenges lies in ensuring that license holders are
actually responsible. While Republicans swear by their regulatory
scheme, Democrats point out that it takes more training to become a
manicurist than to carry a Smith & Wesson.
For the debate, I wanted to be able to ask questions about the
licensing system. To prepare, I decided to go through the licensing
process, even though, technically speaking, I should have had
weapons training before I applied. Knowing nothing about guns, I
was supposed to fail. But I passed on the first try.
Ive lived in Texas all my life, but Id never touched a gun they
actually scare me. When I arrived at the gun shop to get my license, I
didnt know what to expect, except that there would be training and
assessment. The course included no instruction about how to
neutralize an active shooter, deal with moving targets, avoid innocent
people or manage adrenaline and anxiety.
Some of the things that we did discuss in class left me exasperated.
Instructor: You can only shoot in self-defense. This license is not for
justice, but immediate self-preservation.
But what if a man who just attacked me or my wife is running away?
I can shoot him, right? a man asked.
That would be murder.
Glad we cleared that up.
The class was six hours long, but the instructor told us exactly what
we needed for the exam in the final five minutes. Then, we got the
test: 25 questions, multiple choice mostly about where you can
lawfully carry your gun. City Hall? University buildings? Elementary
school parking lots? All of the above. Everyone passed. I got 100.

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Next, it was time to prove our shooting proficiency. We drove to a

field with some silhouette targets lined up. Standard B-27s, the
instructor told us.
Load five bullets in the magazine! the instructor shouted. My
neighbors easily slipped five bullets into their magazines. I struggled
with the Glock Id rented from the store.
Ready your weapon! The others all put their magazines in their
guns, pulled back the slides, and aimed. I put the magazine in the
gun and then fumbled with the slide. Eventually, I got it. I looked at
my neighbors to figure out how to hold the gun.
Fire!
I shot. The gun flew back. My neighbors each hit the center, but I
missed a foot too high.
Fire!
I didnt realize Id have to shoot again so soon. I hadnt taught myself
how to aim yet, and I wanted a few seconds to learn from the first
shot. I also hadnt learned how to deal with the recoil. Anxiously, I
pointed and shot a few seconds after my neighbors. I still missed.
Thats when the instructor yelled at me. You need to line up your
sights! I had no idea what that meant. He explained that for me to
aim properly the dot at the front of the gun needed to be inside the
post at the back of the gun.
That was remarkably useful information.
Fire!
My next shot hit the center X.
After five shots, the instructor told us to remove our magazines. I
tugged on the magazine. It didnt move, so I pulled harder. I pulled
as hard as I could, nervous to put so much force on a gun empty or
not.
I called out to the instructor. My magazines stuck!
Show me. Try to pull it out. That really shouldnt happen.
I pulled on the magazine for the instructor. You need to push the
release, he said.
Whats that? I asked.

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The button.
I pushed something.
No. The button, he said.
That did the trick.
Load your magazine!
So we went through this, at slightly farther distances, until we had
each fired 50 rounds. My bullet holes were all over the place. You get
five points for hitting the inner circles, four for the outer circle, and
three for hitting anywhere else on the silhouette. To pass, you need
175 out of 250 points. If you fail, you get two more chances. I did
pretty well in the end I got 216 points.
As the instructor signed my certificate of shooting proficiency, he
asked a legitimate question: Youve never fired a gun before today.
Why do you want to carry one around? I had to pause and think, but
I replied calmly. Its my right.
After almost zero training and a 10-minute test, the State of Texas
considers me responsible to carry a gun. Once my background check
clears, Ill have the license. I am not an outlier. According to the
Texas Department of Public Safety, 99.7 percent of applicants in
2014 received their license.
Hosting the university debate, I did my best to remain impartial. But
the Republicans got the toughest question after I told this story to a
crowded auditorium.
Given that the system allows me lacking firearm experience to
get a license, would you be comfortable if we sat with each other in
class, upon learning Im secretly carrying a gun?