In America, it is a right. The US Constitution has 10 amendments called the "Bill of Rights". The First Amendment prevents the establishment of a state religion and guarantees free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, and of petitioning the government for redress of grievence. The Second Amendment guarantees that the people have a right to own and bear arms. There has been an argument over the last few decades about the exact meaning of the text as to whether it conferred an individual right to every citizen, or if it was a "collective" right passed on to members of state-run militias (eg, the US Army or National Guard, or something like that). Those opposed to private firearms ownership have argued the collective rights position, those who agree with the views prevalent with the drafters of the US Constitution (it's documented, see The Federalist Papers, etc) have argued that it is an individual right. So yes, it is a democratic right to own a firearm in the United States. The US Supreme Court merely affirmed this with its decision.
As for licensing, typically no, but it varies from state to state and city to city. For example, up until this decision, in Washington, DC, you could not own a handgun, but you could own long guns such as rifles and shotguns, with the condition that they be disassembled and in an otherwise inoperable mode. Some cities require residents to register guns with the city government. Most do not. Many places you can own a semi-automatic rifle patterned after a military rifle like the AK-47 or M-16. No license nor registration is required, just a criminal and mental health background check and some minor paperwork. Convicted felons and people with a history of severe mental disorders are not permitted to own firearms.
What complicates firearm ownership in the US is that there are several sets of laws to deal with. There are federal laws, which apply to the whole country. Then there are state laws, which apply to the individual state only. Next are county laws, and finally city or township laws. It may be legal to own a semi-auto AK-style rifle in one state, but in a specific city within that state it may be illegal, and then the next state over may not allow them at all. So a lot of it depends on geography and the local political atmosphere. As a general rule, rural areas are typically more permissive about what you can own, and big cities more restrictive.
An example of what you cannot own anywhere is an unregistered machinegun or other fully-automatic weapon, a shotgun with a barrel less than 16 inches in length, explosives, or silencers. Those all require special licensing and there are severe restrictions on them. Some civilians do have legal machinegun licenses and own fully-automatic weapons. There's an annual machinegun shoot in Kentucky every year where these people get together and raise six kinds of hell for the fun of it.
The other thing that requires a license is to carry a concealed handgun on your person. Not every state allows this. Most do, but you have to pass an instruction course and apply for a permit. I believe in Vermont you can carry a concealed weapon without any permit. There are still limitations on this. For example, most states do not allow you to carry a concealed weapon inside or near schools, government buildings, shopping malls, etc. Many businesses also do not permit the carrying of concealed weapons inside their buildings.
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