The tragic mass-murder of twenty 1st Grade students at the Sandy Hook Elementary School last month seems to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Sure, we have all heard that same lament after similar shootings before, and seen nothing happen. But the deaths of so many young kids seems to have actually moved the needle, and now it's all about what actually to do.
The NRA and other gun-rights supporters claim the 2nd Amendment guarantees their basic right to own and carry a firearm. Most often they argue that these weapons are necessary for their personal protection, or the guard their home or belongings.
These people chafe at the idea of any regulation of their weaponry, but the solution lies in the Constitution itself.
So it is important to look at the actual words of the 2nd Amendment:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
It appears straightforward enough: the Framers, drafting the document just a short time from defeating the strongest army in the world at that time, would be right to think their fledgling republic might be an easy mark for predation. And without the unlimited funds our country enjoys today, this new nation could not afford a regular standing army to repel invaders.
So in a very democratic move, all (male) citizens were deemed eligible (and obligated) to be part of the militias of their respective states, and thus needed weaponry with which to perform this duty.
Our nation no longer has need for such militias - our professional military is the strongest on the planet. But the 2nd Amendment, in citing militias, provides the key to gun control:
All owners of legally permitted firearms should be required to join a well regulated militia.
It can be left to the states to define what exactly "well regulated militia" means, but no doubt lawsuits will be brought against those that choose to take the matter lightly. Such militias should at a minimum provide training in the proper use and safety of firearms, and register all of them and any transfers of ownership. Perhaps some states would only allow the sale of bullets from their militias - it's a state's rights thing (which should be okay with 10th Amendment backers).
So there you have it - Congress need only enact a law requiring all gun owners to be members of their state's militia, a law which also requires each state to create said militia.