Audience Description Post

For my open-letter persuasive paper, I have chosen to focus on addressing proponents of gun control. Being as there is a continuum of views on the subject ranging from light regulation to more extreme forms, I'm choosing to focus specifically on stricter forms of gun control in the paper.

1.) Demography:
     Gender- More female than male, but overall pretty close
      Race-    Hispanic and African American.
      Age-      Millennials and up to about the age of 50.
      Religion-Atheist, or some form of spiritualism that refuses a more specific label.
      Place of Residence- Blue states, with democratic party affiliation

By and large I don't see the demographic as largely more diverse than this. Obviously this frame is not strict in its assumptions. Political views are incredibly idiosyncratic, and age / race isn't a strong determiner.

2.) Representative Detail(s):

One detail about this demographic is probably that they live in areas close to, but not actually in, areas of immense gun violence.

3.) Shared Principles:

The principle that violence is bad, and guns should be monitored in some way as far as their production, import/export, and distribution goes.

4.) Unshared Principles:

Everybody has the right to arm themselves, and no one should be expected to rely on a police force, especially one that is already highly criticized for its use of force, and the imbalance of such.

5.) Insurmountable Obstacles:

The disagreement on the extent to which individuals can be armed, and what kinds of weapons should be available, isn't insurmountable. This debate all comes down to what would result in lower levels of violence and deaths. It's extremely contentious and statistical data can be manipulated to fit either side, it seems, but obviously when you get right down to it nobody is going to be vouching for more shootings and violence. Both argue for preventive measures against that.

6.) Common Ground:

 That gun control should be implemented responsibly, albeit in different ways and different capacities. The common ground has always been to find a way to reduce violence and provide individuals with a safety net that they can rely on to protect themselves, and the disagreement comes from how to implement that.

7.)  Non-negotiable areas:

 Zero-tolerance for gun ownership is one where I would not concede, and would be trying to convince the reader otherwise.

8.) Where to Address Alternative Viewpoints:

Right after the introduction. After stating my viewpoint or thesis I think it's best to start anticipating alternative viewpoints and address them, before the conclusion.