Now is the time for "Common sense gun legislation".

Yes, I said it.  I like a lot of law abiding gun owners cringe whenever I hear a Democrat say "gun control"... it's a little bit like my Rottweiler "just having a nibble" of my sandwich.. I suspect that they'll take more than "just a nibble".

Hey, even the NRA and Ted Nugent is in favor of keeping guns out of the hands to convicted felons and the mentally ill.

Now is the time.  The Democrats have a point, any criminal can walk into a gun show, or from a private seller, buy an AR-15 without a background check.  Nobody wants that (except maybe the criminal).  The problem isn't the AR-15, the problem is the criminal.

Lets make it tough for them.  Lets pass a law to establish a national database that will house the identities of everyone that we all agree should not have the right to buy weapons and ammunition.  My list would include:

1. Convicted Felons
2. Sex Offenders
3. Non-Citizens 
4. Mentally ill with violent tendencies.

Notice that I did not include Veterans with PTSD (unless of course they fall into the 4th category), I would also include anyone who plea bargains to points 1 or 2 (not sure if that counts as a "conviction" or not.

There needs to be due process associated with the list, no "Oh he said he wanted to kill that guy who cut him off, and he's on Xanax".

The list should also be accessible to the general public, I'm a legal gun owner, should I decide to sell or trade a firearm, I would like to be able to do some due diligence that the guy that I'm trading my AR-15 to for a table saw can legally own an AR-15.  Currently there is no such mechanism.

I would also like to see training included in commercial sales of firearms.  For example, if I go down to my local gun store and buy a Glock... I've never shot a Glock, so I'm not familiar with the safety features of that particular firearm.  Let training be included in the price.  Will the price of a new Glock go up?  I suspect it will, but it will also stimulate the growth of small business (trainers, ranges), and even if I AM familiar with the workings of my shiny new Glock (If I bought a new 1911, I certainly would be) I can always use some prepaid range time.

Politically this is a good move as well, politicians always talk about "working with the other side", this is a chance to prove it.  The D's can go back to their constituants and say "I worked with the R's to get common sense gun legislation passed" and the R's will be able to say "We protected the 2nd Amendment, the next time a D says gun control, you know that what they're really talking about is disarming law abiding citizens."