Relfection 2
Reflection
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| Gun Laws Around The World |
When I first started this class I was excited to learn so much about presentation and the importance of public speaking. For this informative project we had assigned, my group, group 3 decided to do a presentation regarding gun laws around the world. There were 12 of us in the group so we each chose a country and we spoke on the gun laws for each country. The whole presentation had to be informative and direct, we couldn't be persuasive or put any kind of opinion. We were the first group to present, I presented first. My topic was the United States Gun laws. I first spoke on the history of gun laws and how and why they got legalized. In my part of the presentation, I showcased how in December 1791, the groundwork for gun ownership in the US was set. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be violated, according to the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which also states that "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, shall not be infringed." (Temme, 2022). The reason they began the process of legalizing guns for civilians was that they wanted to protect settlers on land that Native Americans claimed as their own and to fend off any attacks from outside forces, and each state at the time maintained a militia made up of regular citizens who served as part-time soldiers. Overall, the country concluded that it could not reject the people's right to self-defense (Cohen, 2013). According to the Constitution, "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them” (Welch, 2021). The significance and background of the decision to legalize firearms in the first place stem from the government's desire to grant freedom to all of its people and maintain a free and democratic society.
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| Canada Gun Laws |
My group member Yadira Somoza claims that Japan, a nation of 125 million people, recorded nine firearms-related fatalities in 2018, compared to 39,740 in the United States. She also showcased how Japan is a country of more than 127 million people, but it rarely sees more than 10 gun deaths a year. Learning that was very shocking, especially comparing the rates of firearm deaths in the US. Sara Valladares did her presentation regarding Canadian gun laws. I learned that since 1977 the Criminal Law Amendment Act, prohibited automatic weapons and sawed-off shotguns and rifles. It was illegal for anyone except the police and the military to possess them in Canada. Valladares also claimed that Canada has always had a strict gun control policy. For instance, handguns have been required to be registered since 1934, all gun purchases have required police scrutiny since 1977, a wide range of weapons was outlawed in 1977, and a significant number of semi-automatic rifles and large-capacity magazines were outlawed or restricted in 1991. Handguns can no longer be purchased, sold, or transferred within Canada. No recently purchased handguns are permitted entry into the nation. I learned so much from my group presentation alone, so many interesting historical and updated laws about guns all around the world.
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| Make America Great Again |
In group 2, the group members went over the struggles and issues civilians face daily while coming into America and their struggles building their new lifestyle here in the U.S. Gabriela Vera started the presentation by stating reasons why immigrants leave their home countries, she expressed how it’s because of lack of job opportunities, political corruption, lack of access to proper healthcare and education. There are so many countries out there in the world that face so many kinds of discrimination and are limited to so many things. Vera explained how immigrants decide to come to the U.S because we have access to healthcare, quality education, a wide variety of work opportunities, and most importantly you have freedom of speech. As a citizen living in the U.S, you will always be granted the rights you as a human deserve. Albertyves Rousseau spoke on the instruction you as an immigrant would follow to come into the U.S, someone must sponsor you or file an immigrant petition for you. Afterward, you have to wait till the petition is approved and the visa is available. As an immigrant, you will face many steps before being able to enter this country. The video Albertyves played for his presentation was extremely interesting because it showed how other countries out there with people facing issues and having unlivable conditions, come to the United States hoping for a better life for themselves and their families. Laura Marques in her part of the presentation spoke on the importance of what can happen to families when they cross the border. Marques claimed how many families have lost loved ones and had to leave loved ones behind so that they have a chance to get to the United States and in the future hopefully bring the rest of their families. Keisy Garlobo spoke on how other countries that have a more closed immigration policy tend to be more strict about who they let in, these closed policies tend to be driven by idealistic or political views. My father is an example of that, he was an immigrant and had to travel to multiple different countries before landing here. Leaving his family behind was extremely hard for him but when he was able to, he brought his whole family over and changed their lives and mine for the better. As a daughter who came from a family that was once immigrants themselves this presentation was phenomenal and I loved how they were informing us students on issues like this. We as citizens forget the benefits and freedom we have compared to other countries, we are very lucky and blessed to have the country we do so I'm glad we were reminded.
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| Covid Effects |
The last group to present was group 1. Group 1 in my opinion did a great job and I appreciated how they spoke on the issues that COVID-19 endured. So many people lost loved ones or were personally affected by COVID-19 including me, so I was glad that we as students had the opportunity to learn more about it. COVID-19 forced students and faculty to go completely virtual and for a lot of us it was the first time we had any kind of virtual classes, it was all very confusing and at first, it was hard to adjust. From going to school every day since I was 5 to having to go virtual and not see my friends. It was difficult and I appreciated that group 1 took the time to showcase to our classmates the effect it had on us. Gabriela Garcia spoke on the advantages of technology-based learning, she spoke on how employees and students can access remote learning from just about anywhere, from the comfort of their own home to an “airport layover”. Gabriela also spoke on how being able to virtually learn allows you to learn at your own pace and you can watch recorded modules and lessons over and over again, so if you're stuck you could further your learning if needed. The disadvantage of technology-based learning is the lack of human interaction. Sometimes as humans we need that face-to-face interaction to learn the material as much as we can. A Lot of students face difficulties learning virtually because they need a teacher or mentor to guide them in person, it makes it easier to learn and for some more comfortable. Alexander James in his part of the presentation spoke on the increased exposure to violence since the pandemic endured. James claimed how the combination of isolation, psychological and economic stressors associated with the pandemic, and coping mechanisms like excessive alcohol consumption can lead to family violence and worse.
The pandemic changed so many lives and for a lot of people, it wasn't for the better. People lost their jobs, schools, and their loved ones and many people had to learn to adapt to a new lifestyle. Abriana conducted her presentation on the change in lifestyle people had to go through, she spoke about how many were unable to feed themselves and their families. Since so many people lost their jobs it was so hard for many families to keep food on the table. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives, and if not life, their job, or their school, we all lost something when covid came. It affected us all in so many ways but after these two years have passed I’m glad that as a community, and a nation we were able to come together and slowly fix all that was destroyed. I loved group 1’s presentation and most of all their topic, I think they did a great job!
Overall I enjoyed every single presentation, I think we all did an amazing job of informing us on matters that are important and we should be more well informed on. I’m thankful for this class and all that I’ve learned and will continue to learn.
This was amazing.
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