Ken White of Popehat suggests how a reasonable discussion about guns could begin:
We yell, we signal to the like-minded, we circle our wagons, we take shots at opponents. But we don’t change minds. Take a look at the discussion of guns on your Facebook feed right now. Do you think it’s going to build a majority on any issue?
Say we wanted to have a productive conversation. Imagine we wanted to identify our irreducible philosophical and practical differences, seek any areas of agreement, persuade anyone on the fence, and change some minds. What might we do….
If you’d like to persuade people to accept some sort of restrictions on
guns, consider educating yourself so you understand the terminology
that you’re using. And if you’re reacting to someone suggesting gun
restrictions, and they seem to suggest something nonsensical, consider a
polite question of clarification about terminology.
No. We don’t want a discussion. We aren’t discussing anything. There is nothing to discuss. There will be no debate. There is absolutely nothing you can say to move us one iota. We have very clearly communicated the same message over and over again: No. Under no circumstances.
Come for them and we’ll come for you.
No more free Wacos.
Molon labe.