Alright, for you folks who live in districts with Democrat representatives, I have a proposal for you. If you really want to do something that might have material impact on this, there has to be a different tactic than the hardline stance that the Democratic Party has on gun control. Every gun control law passed has had compromises with the gun rights side in order to pass. The people pushing NFA of 1933 originally wanted to put hand guns on the NFA registry, but they made a concession and left them off (also partly because they did not believe it would survive scrutiny in the courts). The gun control act of 1968, which established the FFL system through which we buy firearms and required manufacturers to include serial numbers on firearms has a special category of antique firearms that don't have any special requirements for purchasing. That basically includes all firearms manufactured before 1898 that don't fall under the NFA, and replicas of firearms manufactured before 1898 that don't use cartridge ammunition. The latter is basically muzzleloaders where you have to pour loose powder down the barrel and then push a load of shot or a round ball down with a ramrod and either prime the pan in the case of a flintlock, or put a percussion cap on the nipple at the breech end in the case of a percussion gun. This was later amended to include muzzleloaders of modern designs. These guns can be purchased without going through any kind of dealer or background check. They are basically the only kinds of guns that felons or other prohibited persons (such as DACA folks, my compadre who was DACA, but has since obtained a green card was able to hunt with a muzzleloader for the last two seasons, so don't automatically assume that any prohibited person doesn't deserve to be able to have one) can own or possess. The gun control act of 1968 also established the "gun show loophole," which is basically that private sells between individuals not in the business of selling firearms don't have to go through a dealer (unless state law dictates otherwise). On the flip side of things, the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 liberalized protections for gun owners after the ATF got a little to happy holding their own dick and ensured a few rights for gun owners such as prohibiting any new gun registries and protecting gun owners who were traveling across state lines (such as those going on hunting trips in states on the other side of the country) from being screwed around with by the local or state police. But that came at the cost of limiting all new fully automatic registrations in the NFA to only those manufactured before 1986. It was a small concession (at the time), but the ATF FAFO on that matter through their own misconduct. Anyhow, that's a lot of words to say that pretty much every meaningful gun reform has required some give and take from both sides.
If you truly want to make a difference in our country instead of just bloviating on the internet about how something must be done and supporting the same old proposals that go nowhere, consider urging your reps to offer something up like this.
1. Universal Background Checks. There is no reason why we shouldn't have them, and most law abiding gun owners won't sell a firearm in a face to face transaction to someone who they believe to be a prohibited person. At the same time, the ATF has been digitizing records of FFL transactions at a pace that is alarming to gun rights proponents. There is a middle ground in which a person who wishes to purchase a gun from another private individual can submit all their information to the ATF and have themselves cleared through the NICS background check System and recieve an alphanumeric code valid for a set number of days that the seller can then submit to the system, and, combined with a state or federally issued ID, verify that that person is qualified to own a firearm and compete the sale. This allays the fears of gun rights proponents that the federal government is creating an illegal registry and allows gun owners to sell their firearms at fair market value to other potential gun owners without having to worry about whether or not they are a prohibited person. It doesn't create a paper trail, but it is better than the system we have and is the best shot we have at actually getting universal background checks.
2. High Capacity Magazines. As much as many people think that the AR-15 or AR-10 is some kind of evil gun, the only thing that distinguishes it from a functional perception from other semiautomatic magazine rifles that have been around for over 100 years when it comes to instances like this is that 30 round magazines for it are pretty much standard. Due to it's ability to be made to accept over a hundred different calibres, it is an exceptionally handy gun for pretty much any shooting activity and any game animal in North America. It is the most popular new rifle platform sold in America largely for those reasons. But few of those activities require high capacity magazines (in fact they often get in the way while hunting, which is why many hunters choose to use 10 round magazines), the key feature that make it the choice of many mass shooters. I would propose adding magazines over 10 rounds for rifles and 15 rounds for pistols to the Destructive Device category of the NFA. There would have to be a transition period, and more funds would have to be allocated to the ATF to account for the millions in circulation. The government could also create a program by which they would reimburse manufacturers for people to trade in their high capacity magazines for new lower capacity ones. There would also probably need to be some relaxation of some of the other regulations for them when it comes to stuff like transport across states lines and things of that nature, but that gets a little too detailed for an already detailed post.
3. Nationwide Reciprocity. Create a federal standard for concealed handgun licenses that meets suitable and extensive background check requirements. If a states concealed handgun license meets those requirements, licensees are able to carry in any state in the union. Gun control advocates often like to say that we should treat guns like cars. Let them put their money where their mouth is. If another state has to recognize your driver's license, then they should have to recognize your ability to carry a concealed weapon if your license meets federal standards.
4. The Hearing Protection Act. Remove silencers from the NFA. Hollywood has created the perception that silencers actually silence the report of a firearm. This is largely untrue, and is why the industry refers to them as suppressors. In almost all cases, they lower the report of a firearm to a level that is borderline safe for the human ear. It is still about as loud as a nail gun, but it won't damage your hearing so much. The benefits of this to sportsmen are vast, and it is a big reason why they have become so popular despite having to pay the $200 tax and comply with all of the extra regulations. And, despite them being as easy to manufacture as getting a thread adapter and screwing an oil filter on to the end of your barrel, they are rarely used in crimes, because they really don't offer criminals much benefit.
5. Enforce the laws we have on the books with real teeth. The form you have to fill out to buy a firearm is the 4473. You have to attest that you meet all of the qualifications to purchase a firearm before the FFL calls in the background check through the NICS system. If you lie on that form, you have less than one tenth percent chance of even being investigated. This is utterly unacceptable. We need to actually have consequences for those who try to cheat their way through the system.
Anyhow, I spent a bunch of time typing this out, and I hope someone actually listens. I believe that this proposal would get enough support from gun owners that it might actually have a chance at passing and make a difference. I know that many of you may not be fond of some of the compromises, but that is how legislation passes. If you want to keep doing nothing by pushing for laws that have no chance at passing, then you can keep doing so. And you will keep watching kids die and keep blaming the other side.