Mass shootings in 2012 reignited the debate over legislation to combat gun violence . Here 's a look at laws already on the books in the United States dealing with firearms . 1791 -- Second Amendment : Congress ratifies the Second Amendment to the Constitution , which reads that `` 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 . '' 1934 -- National Firearms Act : The law was designed to make it difficult to obtain especially lethal guns . These would include preferred weapons of the era 's gangsters , like sawed-off long rifles or shotguns and machine guns . It also regulated specialty weapons concealed in canes , pens or other items . How the NRA wields its influence . 1968 -- Gun Control Act of 1968 : Following the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy , Rev . Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy , Congress passed this law prohibiting convicted felons from possessing firearms . It also required licenses to trade in guns and created procedures to track serial numbers and control imports . 1984-1986 -- Comprehensive Crime Control Act and the Armed Career Criminal Act : These laws enhanced penalties for using or carrying firearms while committing serious drug offenses , for felons with three prior convictions of violent crimes or drug offenses , for using short-barreled rifles and shotguns and semiautomatic weapons and for automatic weapons or those equipped with a silencer . 1986 -- The Firearms Owners ' Protection Act of 1986 : Allowed licensed dealers to operate outside of their normal places of business , like gun shows , and excluded hobbyists or collectors from some regulations . It permitted sales of ammunition without a license , allowed convicted felons to obtain guns if their civil rights were restored after prison , and banned the production of machine guns for civilian use . It also made it illegal for anyone to sell firearms to those prohibited from owning them . Opinion : Let 's take politics out of gun research . 1993 -- The Brady Law : After a seven-year legislative battle , Congress passed the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act , which required background checks for those buying firearms . 1994 -- Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act : Increased fees and required photographs and fingerprints to obtain a dealer 's license . 1994 -- Youth Handgun Safety Act : Banned possession of handguns by those under 18 and prohibited adults from transferring them to juveniles . 1994 -- Assault weapon ban : The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act made it unlawful , with a few exceptions , to make , transfer , or possess semiautomatic assault weapons . It also made it illegal to possess large capacity magazines that held more than 10 rounds . The law expired in 2004 . Sources : U.S. Department of Justice ; Congressional Research Service .
The Second Amendment gave Americans the right to bear arms in 1791 . Comment: Political assassinations in the 1960s led to the Gun Control Act of 1968 . Assault weapons ban in 1994 expired a decade later .