Actually, pending Constitutional Amendment, they are, or should be, just that simple. That's not politically achievable at this time so I generally work toward small, incremental, improvements (or do as much as I can to slow/stop additional erosion) of the right.
The only Constitutional allowance for restriction is via the 5th Amendment where, through "due process," one's life, liberty, or property can be taken away. And, no, "due process" does not mean that Congress can simply pass a law. It means the whole accusation, answering of accusation (via the courts), etc., conviction, sentence, appeals etc. The courts can impose a restriction as a criminal sentence or via a finding of "incompetence." That's it. Anything else is unconstitutional.
) In fact, in every case you posted in the above-quoted reply, the issue of prior restraint is central. Only when it comes to guns does anyone decide (fallaciously) that this would be a "reasonable restriction" or "common sense gun law", when in fact, all it does is disarm the good people, leaving the violent criminals free to carry out whatever ill they wish. IMHO, the complexities of which you speak exist solely in people's minds, not in reality.
