"People want to believe gun control will reduce crime, but the truth is that gun control will never work."
This is my daughter's thesis statement for her college course. This is the teacher's reply...
"How do you know gun control will NEVER work? You can't. So that is not a factual statement, instead one for a persuasive essay."
This is her reply to the teacher...
"History has shown that gun control will never work. Hitler tried it with Germany. England has tried it, Australia has tried it, and they have all been failures."
What say you? Is it a thesis statement or an opening for a persuasive essay?
+1 to your daughter for moxie. If her teacher wants her to rewrite the thesis, try this:
"Traditional gun control measures necessarily undermine the stated goal of reducing crime, and are therefore ineffective for that purpose.