I appreciate the sentiment. I think you — like many of my fellows on the left — overlook an important point. There is broad consensus on ending the ban on using federal funds to research gun violence as a matter of public health. I think most people also agree that it would be reasonable to close the gun show loophole. We don’t (yet?) have to force the “cold dead fingers” angle.

On the issue of identity, you present a sensible point of view. We should all have the compassion to reach out and understand what it is to live in each other’s shoes. But here is where I get a little less reasonable. When I think about extending a compassionate hand to folks who see guns as part of their heritage and identity, I wonder about the kind of compassion they, as a demographic, have shown over the years towards their LGBT neighbors. Did a compassionate conversation about identity precede efforts to, for example, ban gay marriage?