Can we change gun laws and preserve the 2nd amendment?

In the wake the latest mass killing, the talking heads have begun to scream for more "common sense" gun control.  While that kind of talk makes me nervous, it is becoming increasingly hard to simply say "it's not my problem and I refuse to do anything."  Now, I'm not saying we should reduce our second amendment rights in any way.  I believe that there are REAL common sense things that can be done to at least say, "there, we did it".

1.  Make a background check on every single gun sale.  Yes every single sale.

Here's the catch:  Make these checks instant and make them work!  In Illinois we have an instant background check system that we use to check the validity of a person's foid card when conducting a private sale.  I don't know that we necessarily need to issue foid cards to every gun owner in the USA, but I'm sure a similar thing could be done with a driver's license or state ID?  There would be a database of people, similar to the "no fly" list.  If you are clean, the system kicks back an approval number that the seller keeps.  If the person is barred from obtaining a gun for whatever reason, the system advises the seller to refuse the transaction.  Pretty simple

Of course, transactions made through dealers have always been background checked.  But, the fact that Dylan Roof got a pistol because the background system was screwed up is crazy.  The system needs to work, period.  If the system is down, you need to wait.  The current system where you get your gun even if the system hasn't run the check is stupid.



This is not registration, which I oppose.  It does not put any undue burden on the seller or buyer.  It simply makes sure that the person buying the gun is supposed to have one.  Really not a big deal.

  This would close the so-called gun show loop hole, which anti-gunners have screamed about for years, while imposing no burden on gun owners. I mean really, this is 2015.  You swipe your credit card and get an instant decision.  Why not an approval for a gun purchase?

2.  Eliminate/rethink gun free zones.  I understand that there need to be places where firearms are restricted.  Courthouses, jails, prisons, airport terminals.  Fine.  But, you better have a metal detector and you better have armed cops there to respond when someone storms in with a weapon.  The test should be, if you can't protect me, I should be able to protect me.  Simple.

I know that these shootings are not my fault, they are the fault of the people who pull the trigger.  But, why not fix the damned system and make instant background checks available to private sellers.  At the very least, it would shut people up about gun show loopholes.