Gun control measures elicit reaction from local gun sellers

Taking steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands is all in a day's work for Allan Matthews.

"They can't have a violent past. They can't be a criminal. They can't be a felon. You know, they can't be using drugs."

Matthews owns USA Pawn Shop in Shreveport. He says background checks are completed with every gun transaction, as well as if you come back to pick up a gun you've already pawned.

"We're going to do the exact same check that we've always done. They're just going to do a more extensive look at the person's past," he says of President Obama's plan to bolster gun control measures.

He says agrees with parts of the President's proposal - like strengthening background checks, and allocating funds to hire more police officers.

But he says he wants to make sure the Second Amendment won't suffer in the process.

"They're law-abiding citizens and they have that right. That's our right. It was given to us by our Founding Fathers."

Reginald Thomas is in the market for a gun. He says he wants a firearm to protect his home and his family.

"I figure like there should be more force around background checks. I just don't want the gun to fall in the wrong hands," Thomas says.

Which is ultimately what worries Matthews.

"It'll be the law abiding citizen, is the people that won't have the gun, won't have the high-capacity magazine and won't be able to protect themselves."

Matthews says he also supports strengthening background checks at gun shows, where firearms are often purchased without having to go through that process.