Shadowing Practice: Does America have a gun problem? | 60 Minutes Australia - Learn English Speaking with Video
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229 sentences
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Take a moment and listen to these numbers.
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Since the shocking mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School last December, which saw the deaths of 20 little children,
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there have been more than 6,000 people killed by a gun in America.
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Yes, 6,000.
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In fact, by the time our program is over tonight, another three Americans will be shot dead.
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With numbers like these, it would be reasonable to expect the U.S would be doing everything it could to reduce its citizens' access to firearms.
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Well, I've just traveled across America and found quite the opposite.
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Let's take a big world view.
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Where innocent people are forced into unarmed helplessness, they are slaughtered.
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Where innocent people have the right to keep and bear arms, they survive.
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And evil loses.
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Pick one.
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From the porch on his property in Texas, rock star Ted Nugent is preparing for battle.
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Why do you need an assault rifle?
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Why can't we at least get rid of those?
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They were designed for war.
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Why is there an obsession to hang on to all of these weapons?
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You have been so brainwashed.
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Do you have more than one TV?
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How dare you?
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What would you need that for?
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So just quit with the need crap.
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Are you kidding me?
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So I refuse to answer your question that you think you might know what I might need.
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Welcome to the world, according to Tim.
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Where as a hunter and shooting enthusiast, guns for he and his wife, Charmaine, are part of everyday life.
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And I think you would experience the unbridled joy that I get from brass rainbows if you did have a machine gun.
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But if you don't want one, don't get one.
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Ted's passion for guns is as big as his voice is loud.
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Somebody's still shooting in sight.
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These are number nine.
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And recent massacres in America, including at the Colorado Movie Theatre...
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The school has been locked down.
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..and Sandy Hook Elementary School...
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I was in the gym and I heard, like, seven loud booms.
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..have only made him louder.
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The facts are that mentally ill people get guns and they kill people.
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There is something wrong with the law, which involves guns, surely, that allows that to happen happen.
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You can't tell me that you would restrict all those millions,
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hundreds of millions of law-abiding citizens capability to defend themselves because of the few instances where maniacs or criminals abuse that tool.
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But the fact is there truly have been 62 massacres in the last 20 years in America.
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Surely they could have been drastically reduced
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if the gun laws were tightened you are so beautiful
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and wrong I'm telling you you have no evidence you have there exists no evidence on planet earth
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that this fantasy this feel-good dream that somehow if we can just get rid of the water, the drownings will stop.
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Or, just insert, we can just get rid of the guns and the violence will stop.
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You've got to be kidding me.
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And when I bring it up, I'm going to bring it up to eye level.
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It's not just Ted Nugent fighting for firearms.
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The revolver's a little bit different.
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These women are also passionate about pistols.
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Now we're going to bring our guns up to eye level.
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For them, it's about protecting their families.
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Liz, if you could bend forward just from the waist a little bit.
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There you go.
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Ooh, nice forward position.
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I like it.
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Tonight, suburban housewives of Virginia have joined the pistol-packing ladies' class.
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Release that magazine and drop it.
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Where former Marine Theresa O'Vale teaches them how to handle a gun.
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Remember to pull it back and let it go.
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You want that round to be firmly seated.
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So they're not thinking I should get some mace.
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They're not thinking I should have a better security system.
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They're thinking I should get a gun.
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Well, those other options are things they may be considering, but a gun can offer you a little bit more protection for a mace.
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I mean, when you have a can of mace, it only goes so far.
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But if somebody's coming at me quickly and I have practiced my gun handling, I can defend myself.
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The flashbang secures to the center of your bra.
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Ironically, America's recent gun massacres have seen more people buying guns.
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Nothing comes between a woman and her gun.
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And women are now the fastest growing group of gun owners in America.
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More than 30 million have a firearm, and often with matching accessories.
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Are we being a little flippant when we encourage women to buy, you know, a matching holster?
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Well, I don't think so.
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I think a gun is a weapon, it's a tool if you practice it, and it's your choice to carry it.
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However, I think a woman accessorizes with a purse, with a pair of sunglasses.
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A woman might want a pink gun, and I think it's neat that they offer a pink gun.
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I have two.
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You have two pink guns?
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I have two pink guns.
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Got it?
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Is it big?
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All right.
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But it's not just women children are also being taught how to handle a gun.
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Good job!
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Very good!
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That's good, baby!
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The courses are open for mothers and children from seven years of age.
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Mm-hmm.
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That is a really young child.
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Does that not make you nervous?
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Well, we leave it up to the parent's choice.
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Now, do we start them off with a big gun?
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No. We start them off with a very tiny little .22.
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But that can kill.
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It can.
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It can kill.
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Doesn't matter how big or tiny.
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You're right, it is.
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But a .22 is less likely to kill.
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Look, I have to say in Australia, the gun culture is almost non-existent.
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For people watching you, they would be mortified that a child is being introduced to a gun.
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What is the goodness of doing that in a society where guns have caused so much damage?
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I think because the Second Amendment in America speaks of gun ownership, I think that if children are taught at a particular age,
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again, up to the parent's choice, that they want their child to know about a gun and how to handle it, I think it's important for that family to do that.
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For many Americans, owning a gun is a right, one written into the Constitution in 1791, when firearms were mostly muskets.
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It says two barrels included, 177 and 22.
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Weapons today are extraordinarily different and easily obtained.
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So you want the 22?
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In the aisles of many American supermarkets, you can virtually take your pick.
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I'll have a look at one of those.
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Thank you.
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I'll just give you that one back.
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And this is a common pistol?
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Yes, it's very common.
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Right now this is a standard issue with a lot of police, a lot of law enforcement, and civilians are also legal to own this.
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I have never used a gun.
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You ready to start?
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Ooh!
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Okay, yes.
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Arms straight out in front of you.
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But under instruction in Las Vegas...
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It's ready to go.
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...I soon understood what it was like to hold...
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Up there.
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Yes, ma'am.
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...and fire one.
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Alright, well, you're ready.
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I'm not.
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Here we go.
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That almost makes me feel sick.
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The sheer brute force and lethal power is unnerving.
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You want to keep it snug.
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If it's loose, it's obviously going to wiggle around.
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As it is with the AR-15.
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Magazine in.
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The same rapid-fire weapon used at the Sandy Hook and Aurora Cinema massacres.
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A devastating assault rifle that is disturbingly accurate and easy to use.
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Why does anyone want a big AR-15?
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You know, as well as home defence, they are used for recreation.
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And the AR-15 is not only accurate...
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You saw how you shot that pistol, right?
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Yes.
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Imagine using that for self-defence.
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Now, imagine somebody's breaking your house and you're using your AR-15.
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Which would you rather pick up?
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So do a lot of people have that for self-defence?
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Self-defence, yes, and as well as recreation.
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Perhaps there is no greater illustration of America's obsession with guns than here in Cannesaw in Georgia.
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In 1982, the local city council passed a law requiring the head of every household to maintain a firearm and ammunition.
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To the rest of the world, and to many Americans, it was an outrageous thing to do.
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But for the locals, it made perfect sense.
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This is a Klan uniform about late 1930s.
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I'm amazed you're allowed to do this because I would have thought it was fairly offensive.
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It's not offensive to me. Because...?
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It's my shop.
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It's not offensive to me.
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It could be said long-time local Dent Myers belongs to another era.
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Just like many of the goods he sells in his store in Kennesaw's Main Street.
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So how many people in Kennesaw would have a gun or a firearm?
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I would say the 99.7 of the gun.
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It's just a deterrent's all it is.
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And it has been a deterrent?
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Yes, ma'am.
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To what degree?
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Well, we don't have any crime hardly at all.
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You know what caliber it is?
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Yeah, it's 11mm.
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Violent crime here is 85% below the national average.
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I looked in there, I couldn't find any.
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And visitors to Dent's shop will tell you why.
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Guns.
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You carry a gun?
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Mm-hmm.
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And you carry a gun.
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There's one on her, there's one on me.
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And you both feel the need to walk around with a gun?
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Sometimes, yeah.
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I feel more comfortable with it than without it, honestly.
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Especially being, I don't know, female.
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It's kind of, I stay out late sometimes for work, and then I come home at 9, 10 o'clock at night, and going to an empty parking lot.
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Just kind of scary sometimes.
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Where's your gun now?
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It's in my purse.
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Oh, you carry it in your purse?
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You carry yours in your pocket.
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And here we are with another walk back in time.
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At 78, Dent Myers is still every inch the gunslinger with a loaded pistol on each hip.
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I'm in awe of the sorts of things that you've managed to collect.
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I'm a little bit...
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Accumulated.
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A false move, or in this case, a stumble and a sudden sound by our cameraman.
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Get rid of saddles, Colonel.
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And dent is ready.
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You almost went through your garden, dent.
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I stopped it before I shot you.
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Oh, my goodness.
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I told you I've been trying to do stuff like that.
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Anyway, these horses ran over a lot of people too, People too ought to ban horses.
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I can't believe you went for your gun debt.
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As the gun debate continues to rage, more American communities are now following Kennesaw's lead.
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I think the thing that is amazing is to be driving through a city, or the suburban streets of a city,
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knowing that every one of these homes has by law a gun.
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Gun, gun, gun, gun, gun, gun.
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Everybody has a gun.
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It keeps everybody honest, they say, and I'm sure it does, but I find that extraordinary.
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The right to bear arms is more than entitlement.
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It's an entrenched culture which will not be changed easily,
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despite the devastating tragedies and the wishes of the highest office in the land.
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We can't tolerate this anymore.
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These tragedies must end.
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How dare they, who get tax paid for complete security details with real assault weapons,
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how dare our employees tell the employers that they get armed security at our expense, but we will be unarmed and helpless?
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Kiss my ass!
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In America, it's often the biggest show that gets the most attention.
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And there's no bigger showman than Ted Nugent.
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So you want everyone to be able to carry a gun?
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Absolutely.
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Anybody who chooses.
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It's black and white.
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It's black and white.
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There's no grey area in this at all?
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Nope.
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There's no compromise?
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Nope.
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60 Minutes Australia.
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Subscribe to our channel now for brand new stories and exclusive clips every week.
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And don't miss out on our Extra Minutes segments and full episodes of 60 Minutes on 9now.com.au and the 9now app.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Does America have a gun problem?”. This video has 229 sentences and 2044 words to shadow. The speech runs for 13:59. The speaker talks at a steady 146 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| firearm noun | /ˈfaɪəɹˌɑː(ɹ)m/ | A personal weapon that uses explosive powder to propel a projectile often made of lead. |
| pistol noun | /ˈpɪstəl/ | A handgun |
| dent noun | /dɛnt/ | A shallow deformation in the surface of an object, produced by an impact. |
| massacre noun | /ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/ | The killing of a considerable number (usually limited to people) where little or no resistance can be made, with indiscriminate violence, without necessity… |
| mace noun | /meɪs/ | A heavy fighting club. |
| purse noun | /pɚs/ | A small bag for carrying money. |
| devastate verb | /ˈdɛv.ə.steɪt/ | To ruin many or all things over a large area, such as most or all buildings of a city, or cities of a region, or trees of a forest. |
| unarmed adjective | /ˌʌnˈɑɹmd/ | Defenceless and lacking weapons. |
| obsession noun | /əbˈsɛʃən/ | The quality of being obsessed; an unshakeable feeling that one topic or activity must be pursued above other interests. |
| suburban adjective | /səˈbɜː(ɹ)bən/ | Relating to or characteristic of or situated on the outskirts of a city; of or relating to suburbia or the suburbs. |
| recreation noun | /ɹiːkɹiˈeɪʃən/ | Any activity, such as play, that amuses, diverts or stimulates. |
| goodness noun | /ˈɡʊdnəs/ | The state or characteristic of being good. |
| tragedy noun | /ˈtɹæd͡ʒ.ɪ.di/ | A drama or similar work, in which the main character is brought to ruin or otherwise suffers the extreme consequences of some tragic flaw or weakness of… |
| rifle noun | /ˈɹaɪfəl/ | A firearm fired from the shoulder; improved range and accuracy is provided by a long, rifled barrel. |
| accessorize verb | /əkˈsɛsəɹaɪz/ | To furnish with accessories. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| lock down verb | To secure (something). |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
| run over verb | To exceed the allotted time. |
| stay out verb | To spend time out of one's house. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Why can't we at least get rid of those?
- What would you need that for?
- Does that not make you nervous?
- Which would you rather pick up?
- You know what caliber it is?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been · I've just traveled · has been locked |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be shot · are forced · were designed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | culture which will · Anybody who chooses |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 33 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: enthusiast /ɪnˈθuːziˌæst/, lethal /ˈliː.θəl/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: obsession /əbˈsɛʃən/, recreation /ɹiːkɹiˈeɪʃən/, brainwash /ˈbɹeɪnwɒʃ/, showman /ˈʃəʊ.mən/, ammunition /ˌæmjuˈnɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: recreation /ɹiːkɹiˈeɪʃən/, accessorize /əkˈsɛsəɹaɪz/, accumulate /əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt/, cameraman /ˈkæm(ə)ɹəˌmæn/, enthusiast /ɪnˈθuːziˌæst/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like firearm, pistol, dent.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.