This is one of the major problems we have. While there are different classes of felony, for punishment, when it comes guns, there is only one. Since 1968, any felony, lifetime prohibited person status.
And, since the passage of the Lautenberg law, that same punishment has been extended to domestic violence misdemeanors.
PROPERTY crimes are treated the same as crimes which physically injure or kill people. Felony.
Many, if not most states have in law a dollar amount that determines if a property crime is a felony or misdemeanor. One state I lived in the amount was $500. In 1915 that was a heck of a lot of money, and you had to do serious damage to something to hit that amount. In 2015 it won't cover the cost of repairing scratched paint on a nice car.
This attitude actually creates more crime. There is truth to the old saying "in for a penny, in for a pound". Or the saying, relating to killing, "the first one is expensive, after that, they are all free".
Concurrent sentences are another place that encourages crime. The crook who robs a store might be looking at 20years (if caught), and also looking at 20years (maybe) if he kills the clerk (removing a witness). No matter what the reality may be, in his mind, there is no extra penalty for killing the clerk.
Wonderful attitude. Very prudent, and practical.
And, the reason why ex-cons have such a difficult time getting a job. No job, no prospects, no reason not to return to crime, perhaps worse crime.
We have created a system though sentencing and social attitudes that makes it extremely difficult for anyone with a record to be able to return to the life of a stable, productive citizen.
Many of what were once minor offences have become felonies, and a felony conviction virtually ensures a permanent place in the criminal underclass. Numerous job fields are denied to the felon, no matter WHAT their crime was.
It appears to me that our current system is creating more crime than it solves.
A true cynic would say that this is actually intentional.
SO, give us the tattoo, or the chip, or some other mark of the beast for gun prohibition, and see how long it stops there. Because it won't stop there.
It never does.