Lieux et formes de pouvoir

   Today, I’m going to deal with the notion of locations and forms of power.

The term power refers to the ability to hold sway or to control behavior of others.

In order to live together, members of a community accept rules and laws. This helps create social cohesion but can lead to tension and conflict.

The USA is often called a gun nation for several reasons.

The main reason is that in most States in America it's legal to own a firearm as a method of self defense as it is written in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

To illustrate this notion I will talk about gun ownership in the United States.

It relates the idea of power because authorizing the citizens to bear arms gives them a colossal influence. They are given the possibilty to end a life.

This leads me to wonder to what extent can gun ownership be considered as a form of power ?

So, first I will reflect on the legislative power.

Then, I will adress the issue of the political power.

And finally, I will tackle the idea of the media power.

   To begin with, the use of firearms is determined by the legislative power.

First of all, the right to bear an arme is protected on the national level.

In class, we learned that in April 2013, the US Senate failed to achieve the 60 votes needed for a modest background check bill to proceed at the federal level. This shows that the senators detain power.

  Secondly, the right to bear arms is also protected on the state level. In the US, each state gets exclusive powers to decide of its own laws. In most states you can get a license to carry a concealed weapon. For instance, in class we heard an interview from a man in Colorado. He explained that if you're 18 and have a clean criminal record you are entitled to possess and carry a firearm if it is not concealed. You don't need to register your gun with the administration nor to have a permit.

   In addition to this, gun ownership is also influenced by the political power.

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is an organization which aims to promote gun ownership in the US. It is the most powerful lobbying organization. For example, in class we saw a video called "Bill Maher on the NRA and gun control" for a campaign of the NRA. According to the supporters of the NRA there's nothing wrong with defending yourself and making your own justice.

  The gun manufacturers have a great influence. In class, we read an article "On guns, companies step in where Congress fears to tread" from the newspaper USA Today written in February 2018. It said that companies where stepping in where Congress was not. After the slaughter at Florida high school, some students tried to pressure corporations. The text said that the students notched a victory as a major company announced it would stop selling assault style rifles. They decided to restrict the sales of firearms and to stop supporting the NRA. This shows the corporate America can lead the way.

   One last aspect is that of the media also have an impact on the gun ownership.

In the Us, the gun culture is deeply rooted in the mentalities. It is a heritage of the Wild West. In class, we saw an extract of a documentary about the massacre at columbine high school in 2011. It shows that after the catastrophe, where 15 people were killed and 24 others injured. The video denounces the role of the media. It says that they were giving ridiculous reasons to explain the attack. For instance, there were saying that the shooting has happened because of the violence displayed in video games, in movies, music etc.  

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