There are many forms of government regulations I accept in my daily life. I was forced to wait until I was fifteen to get a Tennessee Lerner’s Permit, and then a year later, after lots of practice, had to prove to the state that I knew how to operate a vehicle. My senior year of high school, I had to take a state regulated test to prove my education had either prepared me for the world or for college. If I want to operate a boat, I have to get a boating licence to prove that I understand the difference between a red buoy and a green buoy thus will safely operate the craft without interfering with naval ships, commercial vessels, or other recreational boaters.
Therefore, I will blows my mind that certain members of the American public and clearly the majority of the U.S. Senate don’t support background checks for the purchase of firearms. Background checks…. A background check isn’t a violation of the Second Amendment.

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

A right to bear arms to maintain a citizen militia is (at least my) interpretation of the Second Amendment. Clearly, there is debate regarding a comprehensive interpretation of this sentences, but for the sake of this blog, I’m not going to argue (nor do I believe) that private citizens don’t have a right to own and operate a personal firearms. At the same time, I believe this right comes with regulations and restrictions to protect everyone. Because universally, while we all have personally liberties, they are extended up until the point where they infringe upon mine.
For example, it would be unreasonable and irresponsible for a private citizen to operate their firearm in the middle of a crowded street. Innocent bystanders could easily be injured or killed. People with PTSD could experience flashbacks caused by the street being turned into an impromptu range. But I will grant you, it’s an extreme example, but an example non the less.
Conservatives argue private citizens being armed ensures they can protect themselves from a tyrannical government. Not that I believe this is an impending threat, even under the Bush Administration, but even members of our military have to prove their proficiency with the weapons they are assigned. Therefore, it’s safe to deduce the military understands that while soldiers carry weapons, it’s prudent to expect these men and women to prove they’re proficient. Otherwise, the soldier will be assigned to a task that does not involve being assigned a weapon. Why would private citizens expect to be treated any differently than the people assigned to protect our freedoms?
If I was serving in the U.S. Senate, the bill I proposed would look like this:

• Prior to being allowed to purchase a firearm, people will be required to enroll in a federally regulated gun safety class to ensure people know how to safely operate and maintain their weapon. Yet, to enroll in this class, people will have to pass a background check that, among other sources, would cite a federal database which contains information regarding mental health and criminal records. If the person passes the class, they would then be administered a licence which proves they are proficient and understand the weapon.
  
• Every five years, firearm owners will have to renew their license and undergo another background check to confirm their criminal record and mental health match federal guidelines.
  
• Firearm clips will not be able to hold more than 10 bullets. 
  
• To purchase ammunition, you will have to present proof that you have received a license to own and operate a firearm. In regards to online vendors, there would be a way to register with the business and a requirement for the vendor to confirm the person’s registered license information.
  
• Individuals will only be allowed to purchase 1200 rounds of any kind of ammo every six months.
  
• Homes where children are present will be required to keep their weapons in a lock box.
  
• Persons under the age of 18, even under the supervision of a parent or adult and on private property, will not be allowed to operate a firearm.
  
• All firearms, like vehicles, will be required to be registered. States can decide if and how much of a personal property tax to administer on these weapons.
  
• People who pass firearms down from one generation to the next will be allowed once the receiving member has aged 18 for rifles and 21 for handguns. If this receiving party wishes to operate the weapon, they will be required to undergo the same licencing requirements.
  
• Firing ranges will be required to confirm that the shooter has a valid firearms license.
  
• Private citizens will not be allowed to legally own assault weapons.

I should point out that I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but am simply applying what I feel to be common sense. For example, I don’t believe that gun shows should be held to different standards than the mom and pop store in small town America. Similar to how I have to maintain a valid driver’s license, gun owners should be held to the same standard. And when I limited the bi-annual amount of ammo purchased by a licensed individual to 1200 rounds, it’s based on my experience in that I’ve gone through 100 rounds the handful of times I’ve shot a gun at a firing range.
Social conservatives have enacted countless pieces of legislation across the country limiting a woman’s ability to have access to a safe and legal abortion. Certain states, such as Virginia, have gone so far as to require a woman to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound, a highly invasive procedure. (Trust me, I’ve had too many to count given my medical history.) Therefore, I will never understand why they yell and scream that gun control restricts personal liberties but enact invasive procedures for women that restrict their personal liberties.
There is an argument to be made that gun control won’t keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. However, that’s not the point of gun control. People aren’t protesting that driver’s licenses don’t stop a car thief who doesn’t have a license from driving away in a vehicle they picked off the street. But that’s not why we require driver’s licenses. They still make our streets safer in spite of the regulation’s shortfalls.
Gun control is not the one and only way to fight crime and possibly decrease the high rates of gun violence. America needs to completely overhaul mental health, how it’s diagnosed, treated, and covered by insurance companies. There’s little help for parents with children who are mentally ill. It’s difficult to diagnose and there’s little support unless the child has actually committed a crime. For those that haven’t read the editorial by Liza Long after the Newtown shooting, you should do it now.
I also believe there are other mitigating factors such as violent video games, the fact that we don’t provide as much support to re-integrate soldiers back into society or support the ones who have PTSD as we should. Lobbyists for the NRA  influence members of congress by threatening to pull funding for their campaigns, funding that is vital for competitive races. Of course, this is impacted by allowing corporations not to have limits when donating to campaigns because the US Supreme Court overturned campaign finance reform restrictions in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission.
If conservatives want to argue that guns are vital to protect themselves and their families against armed criminals, why don’t they also want to address what turns people to the life of crime. In my book, this could also be considered gun control. Let’s talk about education, after school programs, unemployment, income inequities, and equal access to higher education just to name a few. Even our state and federal approaches to crime should be reformed. For example, some crimes, such as domestic violence, aren’t considered a federal offense which affects a person’s ability to purchase firearms unless the abuser is convicted of four separate occasions of abuse as is the case in Tennessee. Mind you, it’s four convictions in Tennessee because the first offense is expunged from their record if the abuser keeps their record clean over the following year. Note, this number varies from state to state. Even person’s who have restraining orders and orders of protection granted by a judge against them aren’t always restricted from purchasing or owning firearms. But those are never topics I hear conservatives initiate during round-table discussions focusing on gun control. Instead, the mantra from their side of the table is it’s anarchist to talk about gun control and anyone who does initiate the subject really means, “they want to take away our guns.”
Nothing about this is black and white, but for Congress to sit around and do nothing is irresponsible. For Americans to allow Congress to sit around and do thing is irresponsible as well. As Gabrielle Giffords said on the floor of the U.S. Senate yesterday:

It’s clear to me that if members of the U.S. Senate refuse to change the laws to reduce gun violence, then we need to change the members of the U.S. Senate.”

Maybe it’s just me, but but I tend to value the opinion of former Congresswoman  who has made a miraculous recovery from a gunshot wound, is a gun owner, and with her husband started a political action committee (PAC) titled Americans for Responsible Solutions to advocate for gun reform. Their organization lobbies for smart gun reform and gives money to candidates that supports these measures to counteract the legislative impacts by lobbyist from the NRA. 
I’m a liberal who’s not anti-gun. (Yes, we do exist.) As I stated earlier, I’ve enjoyed the handful of times I’ve spent at firing ranges. Yet I also admit I felt safe at those ranges because it was a controlled environment. I didn’t grow up with guns in the home and no one in my family hunted. There are several generations of my family who have proudly served this country and after being discharged, never felt the need to maintain a personal weapon. Therefore, I believe it’s reasonable to expect our elected officials to gather around the table and discuss all issues as they relate to gun violence and gun reform in an effort to protect me and all of the citizens of this country.
  http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/trueconfessionsofafemalemotorcyclist.wordpress.com/1356/

Source