The Intersection of Guns & Aliens
The most famous destructive immigrants in the United States were terrorists who used box cutters and planes. The intersection of guns and immigrants can be a little difficult to pinpoint at times. One place these two hot button issues collide is drug smuggling. “Illegal immigrants, guns and drugs are being smuggled into Britain on light aircraft landing on rural airstrips or in farmers’ fields… Law enforcement and border officials are increasingly worried that criminal gangs are using non-passenger flights to slip into the UK, landing away from major airports…” [1](Graham, 2014) For the fortunate few that can avail themselves of private air travel, the ability to bring illegal firearms and people into and out of countries is met without the hassle of contact with border control personnel.
In 2018 the United States is under a travel ban on several Muslim countries, restricting and or heavily controlling the entry and in some cases the movement of those seeking to enter the country. In that same space the US cannot seem to agree on legislation to control the use of guns by its citizens. There have been “18 School Shootings since January 1st, 2018. That averages about 3 per week so far”. [2](Emery, 2018) This is a statistic that seems to be growing and it’s not only plaguing the country, it’s leaving many of its young citizens fearful of entering a space that used to be reserved for education.
In many very real ways the issue of guns and immigration are experiencing similar sentiment by the American public. Experts seem to agree there are “…parallels between the two politically divisive issues and the difficulties of enacting meaningful legislation even when a majority in Congress and the public agree. The inability to push legislation over the finish line has lawmakers fed up while feeding public discontent with Washington.” [3](Hulse, 2018) This has left citizens and lawmakers alike disillusioned and exhausted at the snail’s pace at which progress, if any, takes place. For now with a Republican controlled Congress whose sentiment appears to appeal to a different base, the possibility of seeing the necessary legislation enacted seems slim.
Many would argue the idea that it is the people responsible for the death and destruction rather than the guns. “A very analogous policy situation exists with illegal immigrants, and conservatives need to understand that…there is no simple way to identify those with illegal status. Some have physiognomy and speech characteristics that suggest they might be. But there are tens of millions of other people, citizens born here or legally naturalized who look the same and may talk similarly.” [4](Lotterman, 2017) In plain English, when you demonize a population based on an assumed status, it can be tricky to identify who the real bad guys are. Is the undocumented person you are removing a person who has entered the United States illegally to perpetrate harm on citizens and state or is it a young person who came along on a journey with their parents not knowing what the consequences could be to their futures? Is it really just the gun or the illegal immigrant that is the problem? Does there need to be a shift in legislation to protect the rights of the most marginalized people in these scenarios?
The fight to keep the populous armed and the fight to allow Dreamers to remain here legally can seem far apart. Guns make some Americans feel safe and others cower in fear. It seems that for many people living in the United States the feeling is mutual about immigrants. While they cover the labor market in many industries across the US, filling gaps in low wage and undesirable positions to the US born laborer, many feel a sense of fear, that the immigrant will deplete resources and ruin their way of life. In both of these battles Congress appears to have their work cut out for them in creating and enacting legislation that can assuage the American public.
[1] Graham, Georgia (May 5th, 2014) Illegal immigrants, guns and drugs ‘smuggled into Britain on light aircraft’ http://bit.ly/2FwnwiA
[2] Emery, David (February 20th, 2018) How Many School Shootings Have Taken Place So Far in 2018? http://bit.ly/2Fb4HRC
[3] Hulse, Carl (February 22nd, 2018) Two Polarizing Issues, Gun Control and Immigration, Have Thwarted Compromise http://nyti.ms/2oue8oj
[4] Lotterman, Edward (October 7th, 2017) Real World Economics: On guns, immigrants and the choices we make http://bit.ly/2FveNwW
