Reasonable people regardless of their RKBA stance can surely agree violent crime with guns is the real problem. It's the morons pulling the trigger, or letting kids get hold of the trigger, who we need to stop. Let's work on that then see how bad things are with just hunters and target shooters and hobbyists.

So let's expand on that a bit, forgetting for the moment the question of firearm illegality (are we talking a weapon illegal per se in civilian hands, one held by a proscripted felon, or a juvenile, etc?) and just say yes possession of a gun where it is illegal = meaningful minimum sentence. I think there are grounds for that mystical constitutional "compromise" out there somewhere.

Let's add a lifetime firearm ban, at least for repeat offenders.

Now let's talk aggravated penalties, some of which I think already have some currency:
- commit a violent crime with a gun on you, even not in use or even display? Double sentence and lifetime ban - violent people shouldn't have guns.
- commit a nonviolent but serious crime (by class, penalty etc is for the lawyers to define, but I'm looking at burglary, significant thefts, blackmail, etc - anything where violence could be reasonably anticipated) with a gun on you? 50% added to sentence plus confiscation of firearm.
-commit a lesser non-traffic crime with a gun on you? 25% added to sentence/fine. Confiscation for repeat offender

Not take reasonable precaution to keep a gun in your control that is later stolen and misused or has a negligent discharge? Lifetime ban. Everybody can be robbed/overpowered etc so this must have a reasonable person standard. No not all guns need to be disassembled in tungsten vaults, which makes them useless for self defense, but if you stick one in your waistband in condition 0 instead of a decent retention holster in condition 2, or leave it on a picnic table instead of strapped to you or locked in the trunk, and it falls to the ground or gets picked up by a kid, then no guns for you. Guns not actively carried or to hand during the night for immediate defensive purposes belong unloaded in a decent safe.

ETA - I forgot. Violating these hypothetical lifetime bans, see initial OP

Gun-rights supporters often point to Chicago's endemic violence as evidence that gun control doesn't work. But the Trace's investigation suggests the real problem is the lax gun laws everywhere else.

It was shot down by African-American legislators and the NRA. Politics makes strange bedfellows.

It's not difficult to imagine the police continuing to ignore white fuckwits with guns, but using the law to further harass black people.

That's the history of guns in racist U.S.A..

Automobiles too.

If Driving While Black is trouble, carrying a gun while black is even more trouble.

being murdered by criminals..... simply so that we don't offend a few Legislators?
Doesn't make sense.

When passed the results have generally been very posture toward reducing gun crime, criminologists generally see them as one of the most effective tools.

As long as you tie to it criminal activity-mandatory sentences for any criminal act involving a gun for example- you will even get the NRA on board in most cases. It's only when you try and push a version that can lead to inadvertabt violators getting snared such as an elderly WWIO vet who didn't renew his FOID card while in the hospital that you get push back from most gun owners and groups.

that a high percentage of legal gun owners/hobbyists would be all for
STRICT sentencing for anyone using an illegal/unregistered gun in a crime.
Maybe I'm wrong.

The one asshole will probably be offered a plea bargain deal, that if he pleads guilty to the criminal trespass charge,
all the other charges will be dropped.

Nobody is laughing.

That was a direct response from me.

What apparently happens is a suspect gets arrested for several offenses and the gun charge gets plea bargained away in exchange for a guilty plea on other charges. Gun charges are not as "sexy" as drug charges.

And once convicted felons are already prohibited from EVER owning a gun again or even residing in a residence where someone else does.

Plus, the Federal Government is also at fault because the do not arrest and prosecute those prohibited persons from attempting to buy another gun.

Some states have "gun courts" but it is not universal.

As a gun owner I fully support the harshest terms for illegal guns.

Frequent and aggressive undercover stings on gun manufacturers, gun shows, and private citizens selling guns into the illicit pipeline. An additional $100 million to aggressively and completely investigate any claim of a stolen gun.

There are no gun factories on the South Side of Chicago. Every illegal gun began as a legal gun. Attack the supply side aggressively.

That would be Pence's state........