Should the U.S. Have Stricter Gun Control?

The debate over gun control is back in the forefront following last week's horrific shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and several Democratic lawmakers have called for a renewed discussion on gun laws, while President Barack Obama vowed over the weekend that his office would do whatever necessary to prevent incidents similar to Friday's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

During the recent presidential campaign season, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called on both Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney to tackle gun control.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has also spoken out on the issue, saying: "The time for idle talk is over. If not now—after the deaths of children as young as five in a suburban elementary school—then when?"

"We need strong leaders in Congress to stand up to the gun lobby," he added. "We need strong leaders in Congress to stand up to the gun lobby. We need lawmakers with the courage of conviction and the strength to follow through. We need determined voices in this fight to take back our streets and our schools. We cannot be held hostage—literally or figuratively—by gun-wielding madmen or the lobbyists that keep them armed."

Gun rights activists have mostly been quiet since last week's shooting, but Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-TX, told Fox News Sunday that he wished the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary "had an M-4 in her office, locked up so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out and didn't have to lunge heroically with nothing in her hands."

Patch wants to know: Do you believe stricter gun laws should be enforced in the U.S.? If so, where the should line be drawn? If not, what do you believe are some alternate solutions to preventing mass shootings? Vote in Patch's poll and post your comments in the section below.