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Federal gun control laws state that certain classes of people may never sell guns, purchase guns for sale or possess guns. These are people who have been imprisoned for more than a year, fugitives, drug users, mentally incompetent individuals, illegal aliens, dishonorably discharged veterans, people under 18 for rifles or 21 for handguns, those with restraining orders placed against them and people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence. Additionally, federal law mandates that anyone convicted of a violent or drug-trafficking crime with the possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 20 years in jail. Additionally, if the firearm is a machine gun or equipped with a silencer, the perpetrator is subject to life imprisonment without parole. The National Firearms Act of 1934 was the first of modern gun control laws to pass. Following Prohibition, this act imposed an excise tax of $200 on the manufacture and transfer of all Title II weapons, while also mandating their registration. Firearms moving past state lines had to be reported to the Department of Treasury (which is now the function of the Department of Justice). During this time period, rogues and gangsters ruled the streets, with headline catchers like Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson, which prompted President Roosevelt to take drastic measures. The next bout of gun control laws didn't come to pass until 1968 when The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 was passed by Congress. Analysts say the assassination of President John F. Kennedy created public outcry over guns for sale and in possession in America. The Gun Control Act specifically defined specific groups of people who were not allowed to own firearms, such as those under 18, people on parole, citizens with criminal histories or restraining orders, dishonorably discharged veterans, ex-cons, the mentally incompetent and drug users. People could no longer purchase guns for sale from online/mail-order dealers or buy from individuals outside their home state. Different presidents have had different policies concerning gun control laws over the past few decades. Reagan was pro-gun, but took a firmer stance after his attempted assassination. President Clinton passed the first-ever Assault Weapons Ban in 1994, which was questionably enforced. Critics said Clinton's gun policies inflamed NRA members and led to the Democrats losing control of the House. President Bush let some of the old gun regulations expire and President Obama has remained ambivalent thus so far, allowing the Supreme Court to uphold Second Amendment rights.
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