Political Aspects: Gun Control and Immigration

Gun Control

Gun Control entails the restriction or limitation of the production, importation, and possession of guns by private citizens. Gun control measures help to reduce access to guns in the hand of private individuals leading which might lead to a rise in insecurity. According to the Almanac of Policy Issues, to reduce access to guns in the wrong hands, federal measures are necessary including the registration of all firearm owners. However, control of firearms faces strong opposition as the controls create insecurity because law-abiding citizens cannot protect themselves. The high rates of crime and homicide associated with the availability of guns to criminals and juveniles further justify the opposition to gun control. The opponents of gun control instead prefer legislations that allow free firearm transfers and ownerships.

To address the issue of gun control properly, the adoption of the appropriate federal policies and legislation is paramount. The federal statutes regulating arm ownership among the civilian population include the National Firearms Act of 1934 which enacted strict laws on machine guns and short-barreled guns registration and transfer. The other statute controlling arm ownership is the 1968 Gun Control Act which controls the sale and transfer of firearms. The statute also has provisions for a penalty of violation of these statutes besides outlining the requirements and standards for arms manufacture and sale. However, gun control among American citizens faces many hurdles as the crime rate and homicide levels go up. Outlawing the private ownership of guns will result in fewer guns available to criminals but having a not-so-strict gun control policy results in easy access to guns. This creates a dilemma regarding whether gun control in American society is an ideal way of reducing the crime rate.

Immigration

Immigration refers to the introduction of new inhabitants into a country from another country of origin. The causes of immigration are primarily economic where people from underdeveloped countries move to developed nations to seek better opportunities. In the 19th century, the economic expansion of the U.S. encouraged immigration to supply human resources for the expanding economy. This contributed immensely to population growth. Most of the statistics on immigration and measures to manage immigration are under the control of the U.S. Department of Immigration. However, illegal immigrants can get access to the country by avoiding border checkpoints.

The influx of illegal immigrants from other countries is a concern to the government. As of 2008, 11 million people were illegal immigrants in the country according to estimates by the Center for Immigration Studies with 56% of these illegal immigrants coming from Mexico and 13% from Latin America. Illegal immigrants are charged according to the federal statutes if they commit a crime whilst in the country. The impact of illegal immigrants on the economy is substantial. They contribute to the national revenue through taxes and at the same time strain, the social services leading to the decline of the quality of the social services offered (Lynch and Woodyard Para12). They are also associated with drug trafficking across the borders and committing acts of terrorism. Immigrants provide cheap labor to sustain a growing economy but impact negatively on the economy, as they need to get medical cover and other social services provided by the government. Legal immigrants promote the economic development of any country but illegal immigration has adverse effects on the economy.

Works Cited

Almanac of Policy Issues. Gun Control. N.d. Web.

Lynch, David, and Woodyard, Chris. Immigrants Claim Pivotal Role in Economy. USA Today 2006. Web.

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