The main reason it is difficult to pass draconian gun laws is that there are 80,000,000 gun owners in this nation and often the gun owner in a home is married and his wife also supports gun ownership. (When I was married, I bought the firearms but both my wife and I enjoyed target shooting handguns and had one loaded and available for home defense.)
Not all gun owners own handguns or semi-auto rifles but simply have bolt action rifles or shotguns for hunting. Such people may support a ban against handguns or semi-auto rifles. I live in an area of Florida where deer and hog hunting are very popular but most of the hunters that I know also have handguns. Semi-auto handguns are far more popular today than they were 20 years ago and most buyers prefer them to revolvers.
So as an offhand estimate there may be as many as 100,000,000 voters who do own semi-auto weapons in our nation and would oppose any effort to ban or confiscate such weapons. The fact is that they often have a considerable amount of money and time invested in their hobby.
The media and the gun control organizations need a boogie man to blame their failure to implement draconian gun control on and the NRA fits the bill.
Obviously we do need to have an honest discussion on how we can improve gun laws in our nation. Unfortunately neither side of the issue is willing to sit down at a table and hash out some improvements. Most on the gun control side are determined that we need implement another assault weapons ban as a first step. Of course this would eventually be followed by a ban on any semi-auto handgun or rifle.
While many nations have accomplished gun bans and confiscations they didn't start out with the number of firearms and the high percentage of gun owners that we have. Such nations also did not have the strong gun culture we have.
I understand your emotion but realistically how would you approach the problem?
I am hoping that Obama will step up to the plate and lead the discussion. In his first term he was not unfriendly to gun owner and their rights. It is true that the NRA portrayed him as a gun grabber which was simply bullshit. To be successful he would have to be in the middle of both sides and not insist on gun bans or unrealistic ideas but he could insist on finding better ways to determine who should be allow to purchase firearms or to own them.
I am a gun owner and have enjoyed shooting for 45 years. I own what many here would consider to be an arsenal. Oddly enough I have never owned any firearms that would fit under the definition as an assault weapon. However I may purchase a semi-auto assault style rifle for hunting and self defense if I move to a more rural area. Yes, such weapons ARE used for hunting and target shooting. They are quite effective against feral hog which are a pest in Florida and do considerable damage to the environment as they are not a native species. NO you do not need a hi-capacity magazine to hunt deer and in fact the laws in my state limit the capacity of the magazine to five rounds while hunting deer.
One item which I have favored for many years is a requirement for all sales of firearms to undergo a NICS background check (for a reasonable fee). I am very careful when I sell one of my firearms. I have to personally know the buyer and he/she has to be a personal friend or close acquaintance. The individual must also have a valid concealed carry permit. (Obviously I rarely sell any of my firearms.)
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