Here's a firearms compromise I've often thought of (involves a lot of give from both sides)
Somebody who has views that differ significantly from mine recently pointed to the National Firearms Act as gun control that works. I happen to agree with this. So, try this one on for size...there's a lot of compromise involved for EVERYBODY here, seems a good via media.
Bring every firearm in the country under the aegis of the NFA but make the licensing shall-issue for Title I (non-auto/non-short-barreled weapons) while retaining the same background check and safe-storage requirements. Eliminate the transfer tax, it's just a silly anachronism at this point. Reopen the Title II registry; closing it had literally zero effect on crime. Allow for a CCW endorsement with a class and skills test. Subsidize the licensing/registration process heavily...I doubt the subsistence hunters I knew in PA could even think about complying if they had to pay the going prices. And to ice the cake, full Federal preemption of all state firearms laws...this would be the hardest part for sure, but if nothing else take a carrot-and-stick approach as is done with drinking age. No federal law enforcement money for a state that wants to go their own way maybe. There's some piddling details to work out like interstate movement and whether to keep silencers Title II, but that's the basic framework I have in mind.
It's a tough sell to everybody involved - licensing/reg is a huge fail with pro-gunners, CCW and an open machine gun registry are as anathemic to pro-controllers. But, I reluctantly concede the NFA does work and perhaps we should use those proven regulations on a wider scale.
I'll even allow for a magazine limit, even as low as 10 - I carry a 1911, always said if I as a civilian, interested in only my own defense, need more than 8 rounds, my number has come up; and when I'm using my EVIL ASSAULT WEAPON for its purchased purpose of hunting (it's actually a "battle weapon" being a semiauto .308 but I digress), I have a 5-round magazine in it.
So there you go. A compromise offer from a guy who needs to use his toes to count his guns (all of which except 3 are bolt or pump action, and all of which are stored in a safe locked in a storage unit outside of NY where I currently live), and has already admitted to CCWing and hunting with an EBR. I fully expect all of you to hate me, either as a "gun nut" or a "traitor". Cheers!
edit
I am not now nor have I ever been a member of the NRA. When I lived in CT I had to drive over an hour to find a range that didn't require NRA membershit (typo but so perfect I'm leaving it 
, which I did in a heartbeat.
= new reply since forum marked as read
If you head over to Wikipedia and look up "National Firearms Act", there's a pretty detailed article. I'm basically advocating bringing all guns under it's regulation (with a few modifications) while providing some pretty serious incentives for firearms enthusiasts.
I know I was being somewhat technical; I was floating a trial balloon to see what those invested in the debate, who'd know what I meant, would think. That and complete elaboration would take, well, a Wiki article
So deeply buried that almost every psychological test in current use can't detect?
Seriously?
I thought you were actually being reasonable for a moment.
I bought my AR-10(T) because it was the best deer-hunting rifle I could get for the price at the time. It's totally incapable of "mowing down children" or "spray firing from the hip" - it's 40 inches long and weighs fifteen pounds. Literally impossible to hit a man-sized target at 25 yards while shooting offhand, between the massive target barrel and relatively heavy recoil of the full-power .308 round. Designed from the start as a precision marksmanship rifle, to be fired off some sort of a rest using a scope. Doesn't even come with iron sights. I can fire it no more rapidly than my later-purchased bolt-action .300 Magnum, while (I've tried this) loading the .300 from a pile of rounds on the bench - I can blow off a thousand at that rate. And the .300 is damn near twice as powerful. I'd be perfectly happy if the AR had wood-laminate furniture, it would keep people from shrieking so loudly.
I'd be fine with a limited magazine size, even a mechanically fastened one ("bullet button" style, a la California). When I hunt I'm legally barred from more than 5, and at the range I never fire more than nine or ten shots in a string. Rattling off a magazine of 20 is going to do nothing more than overheat the thing, I'd rather not spend hundreds on a new barrel.
Anyway, if I were out to rack up a kill count, I'd use a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. Deadliest CQB weapon ever.
ETA - here's my bolt-action (not mine actually, but the same model outfitted the same). It's BLACK! With a SCOPE! AND BIPOD! Am I also secretly a delusional psychotic sniper-wannabe?
(Long-ass Wiki dump follows - breaks the 4-paragraph rule but Wiki copyright allows)
The National Firearms Act ("NFA"
All transfers of ownership of registered NFA firearms must be done through the federal NFA registry. The NFA also requires that transport of NFA firearms across state lines by the owner must be reported to the ATF.
…
The National Firearms Act of 1968 (NFA) defines a number of categories of regulated firearms. These weapons are collectively known as NFA firearms and include the following:
Machine guns—this includes any firearm which can fire more than 1 cartridge per trigger pull. Both continuous fully automatic fire and "burst fire" (i.e., firearms with a 3-round burst feature) are considered machine gun features. The weapon's receiver is by itself considered to be a regulated firearm.
Short-barreled rifles (SBRs)—this category includes any firearm with a buttstock and either a rifled barrel under 16" long or an overall length under 26". The overall length is measured with any folding or collapsing stocks in the extended position. The category also includes firearms which came from the factory with a buttstock that was later removed by a third party.
Short barreled shotguns (SBSs)—this category is defined similarly to SBRs, but the barrel must be at least 18" instead of 16", and the barrel must be a smoothbore. The minimum overall length limit remains 26".
Silencers —this includes any portable device designed to muffle or disguise the report of a portable firearm. This category does not include non-portable devices, such as sound traps used by gunsmiths in their shops which are large and usually bolted to the floor.
Destructive Devices (DDs)—there are two broad classes of destructive devices:
Devices such as grenades, bombs, explosive missiles, poison gas weapons, etc.
Any firearm with a bore over 0.50 except for shotguns or shotgun shells which have been found to be generally recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes. (Many firearms with bores over 0.50", such as 12-gauge shotguns, are exempted from the law because they have been determined to have a "legitimate sporting use".)
Any Other Weapons (AOWs)—this is a broad "catch-all" category used to regulate any number of firearms which the BATFE under the NFA enforces registration and taxation. Examples include, among others:
1) Smooth-bore pistols 2) Pen guns and cane guns 3) A firearm with combinations smooth bore and rifle barrels 12 inches or more but less than 18 inches in length from which only a single shot can be made from either barrel. 4) Disguised firearms 5) Firearms that can be fired from within a wallet holster or a briefcase 6) A short-barreled shotgun which came from the factory with a pistol grip and no buttstock is categorized as an AOW (smooth-bore pistol) rather than a Short Barrel Shotgun (SBS), because the Gun Control Act describes a shotgun as, “…designed or redesigned to be fired from the shoulder…” 7) Handguns with a forward vertical grip.
…
All NFA items must be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Private owners wishing to purchase an NFA item must obtain approval from the ATF, obtain a signature from the Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) who is the county sheriff or city or town chief of police (not necessarily permission), pass an extensive background check to include submitting a photograph and fingerprints, fully register the firearm, receive ATF written permission before moving the firearm across state lines, and pay a tax. The request to transfer ownership of an NFA item is made on an ATF Form 4.[14] Many times law enforcement officers will not sign the NFA documents. There have been several unfavorable lawsuits where plaintiffs have been denied NFA approval for a transfer. These lawsuit include; Lomont v. O'Neill 2002 9th circuit, Westfall v. Miller 1996 5th circuit, and Steele v. National Firearms Branch 1985 11th circuit. In response Tennessee and Alaska have passed state laws which require the CLEO to execute the NFA documents. On October 28, 2010 in response to a writ of mandamus a Tennessee Williamson County Chancellor Robbie Beal found that the sheriff or CLEO is not required to execute NFA documents according to Tenn. Code Ann. 39-17-1361.
…
The domestic manufacture of new machine guns that civilians could purchase was effectively banned by language in the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 (also known as "McClure-Volkmer"
The law also requires access-controlled storage, safe storage in such a way that only the registered owner has access to the firearm.
Basically, I'm proposing expanding the law to cover ALL firearms, while either removing the Chief Law Enforcement Officer's discretionary requirement or mandating their signature, eliminating the transfer tax, re-allowing the registration of new machine guns, and allowing the licensee to carry a handgun if they pass an extra knowledge and skills test.
I just caught that.
That's not going to happen.
