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Students interview Congressman Paul Tonko about the
2nd Amendment,
role of the federal government
Dec. 22, 2011—Farnsworth Middle School eighth
graders Jimmy Gray, Winsor Jewell, and Matt Krieg recently had an opportunity to sit down with United States Congressman Paul Tonko for an
interview about the 2nd Amendment and the role of the federal government.
The meeting was arranged as part of an interdisciplinary project spearheaded
by Hiawatha 8A teachers Heather Tagliaferro (English language arts) and
Kimberly Nugent (Social Studies).
The students have been meeting since October during tutorial time and
researching the 2nd Amendment in order to compete in a video contest,
sponsored by C-SPAN, where students must make a short documentary about a
part of the constitution and how it relates to their life. Students asked Congressman Tonko the
following questions:
• How do you interpret the 2nd Amendment? How do you use this
interpretation?
• What has caused you to feel this way about the 2nd Amendment?
• What is your current view on gun laws across the nation?
• What are your views on gun laws in your district?
• Does your district experience a lot of gun violence?
• Do you own a gun? If yes, why do you own a gun?
• Would you make gun ownership illegal in the U.S. for all citizens outside
the military including law enforcement? Why or why not?
• Do you think that Congress should pass more gun restriction laws? Why or
why not?
• Have you heard of Pastor Charlie Muller? He takes guns and gives gift
cards to Crossgates in return. Do you think this is a good way to get
illegal guns off of the street?
• What else do you think can be done to get rid of illegal guns?
(We hope to
share the completed contest entry, including the students' interview with
Congressman Tonko, on the district Web site as soon as it becomes
available.)
Other students on the Hiawatha 8A team have also taken part in the
Constitution research project, but will not be entering the C-SPAN contest.
Those students have interviewed school
administrators and local police officers on a
variety of Amendments and will soon create a digital products showcasing what
they have learned through their research.