Instigator / Pro
22
1502
rating
40
debates
36.25%
won
Topic
#2770

On Balance, The US Should NOT Tighten Gun Control Policies

Status
Finished

The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

Winner & statistics
Better arguments
0
21
Better sources
10
14
Better legibility
5
7
Better conduct
7
2

After 7 votes and with 22 points ahead, the winner is...

Theweakeredge
Parameters
Publication date
Last updated date
Type
Standard
Number of rounds
4
Time for argument
One week
Max argument characters
10,000
Voting period
One month
Point system
Multiple criterions
Voting system
Open
Contender / Con
44
1706
rating
33
debates
80.3%
won
Description

One of my strongest debate topics I have yet to debate on this site. Burden of proof is shared. Pro will argue US should keep its loose gun control policy, or even loosen it further (if possible). Con will argue for stricter regulations or even ban on gun ownership.

Good luck!

Criterion
Pro
Tie
Con
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Concession

Criterion
Pro
Tie
Con
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Concession.
But here is the RDF:

https://www.google.com/search?q=budgies&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1GCEB_enNO937NO937&sxsrf=ALeKk03PmRmbMEQQKMsi4s-j8Aj62Ppp_Q:1613030678043&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwik8c3Er-HuAhXwkosKHeZUA9oQ_AUoAXoECBAQAw&biw=1280&bih=610

Criterion
Pro
Tie
Con
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Concession (and widening the safety net due to a recent voting issue)

Criterion
Pro
Tie
Con
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Concession.

Criterion
Pro
Tie
Con
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Concession.

Criterion
Pro
Tie
Con
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Pro conceded. I agree the topic was vague enough that it gave Con too much ground (i.e. they could support any particular gun control policy) and Pro’s case wasn’t specific to the policies they supported.

Feedback to Pro: (1) Make your case specific to the topic. As you noted, your case was more a case against banning guns than one against any gun regulation or tightening of gun control policies. (2) A lot of your case wasn’t an argument against tightening policies, but rather preemptively rebutting arguments for tightening. I’d spend more time on the first type of argument, as that’s the type that can win you the debate (whereas the second type just mitigates Con’s potential arguments). (3) I think your structure was a bit hard to follow. It seemed like you were jumping from one argument to the next without much transition. Perhaps some clear headings and following a structure of “claim, explanation, impact” could be useful.

Feedback to Con: (1) I think it’d have been useful for Con to give examples of gun control policies for which Pro’s arguments didn’t apply. (2) In general, simply citing a source doesn’t mean your argument is presumed true. You need to summarize what the source says in the character limit of the debate, because judges don’t read every individual source. It’s also useful to add more logic/analysis to your argument. (3) I think you dropped a lot of Pro’s arguments, including (a) the claim that guns are often trafficked so gun regulation is ineffective, (b) the argument that gun control limits the ability of people to respond to state oppression, and (c) the argument on autonomy.

Criterion
Pro
Tie
Con
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Concession