Commenter to ATLANTIC magazine blog post guesses next move of National Rifle Association.

Spike Gomes' comment on the AtlanticWire site:
"My theory? The NRA is going to offer gun control "concessions" not explicitly outlined in return for America discussing issues with news media fueling gunman notoriety, movies and video games glorifying ultra-violence, which will seem eminently reasonable; the one thing most young mass-murderers share outside of access to firearms and mental-emotional disorders is an inordinate interest in violent video games, movies and music. This draws out the discussion, gores some of their strongest opponent's sacred cows and takes advantage of America's notoriously short (if intense) attention span. I suppose some bill will be passed, a modified version of the Brady Bill grudgingly supported by the NRA-ILA this time around, along with stronger government tracking of firearm sales and registration."

Granite hearts and minds need to change after Connecticut gun tragedy.

From a David Remnick post on yesterday's tragedy in Connecticut:

"What is needed is gun control—strict, comprehensive gun control that places the values of public safety and security before the values of deer hunting and a perverse ahistorical reading of the Second Amendment"

Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/12/what-obama-must-do-about-guns.html#ixzz2F6fUljtp

I would amend the above to say that deer hunters who are responsible gun owners don't need assault weapons to do their hunting.

Over the years I've been alive,  everyday citizens, civil rights leaders, Presidential candidates, two Presidents, teenagers and children have been wounded or killed due to guns in the hands of mentally ill people.

That's not counting the irresponsible parents who fail to lock away or put trigger locks on their firearms--causing their children to kill themselves, their siblings, other neighborhood children.

President Obama can wipe away tears; Jay Leno can speak soberly on THE TONIGHT SHOW--but nothing affects people like the NRA head Wayne LaPierre or the friend of a college friend of mine who ranted on Facebook about "gun control freaks."

I wish something would convince people that background checks and other tightened laws governing gun show and online firearms sales won't "take their guns away", as people like LaPierre claim.

But the deaths of 20 children yesterday won't do it.

James Holmes and Wayne LaPierre: Time for the NRA to take gun control seriously.

At this writing, it looks like the usual sensitivity-driven response to the horrific rampage of James Holmes in Aurora, Coloarado will take place: both major Presidential candidates will express their empathy with the victims; Warner Bros. is pulling THE DARK KNIGHT RISES TV ads--plus the trailer for GANGSTER SQUAD, which includes a machine-gunning-in-movie-theater scene derivative of a portion of the climax of INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (UPDATE 7/23/12: The movie theater scene from GANGSTER SQUAD will be removed, prompting some additional filming before its September 7 release date); theater chains will increase security for safety of opening weekend patrons; calls for gun control will increase; politicians will do absolutely nothing to offend Wayne LaPierre and the National Rifle Association.

But perhaps in a small way, it's time to have a left-and-right-meet-at-center compromise on gun control.  People from both major political parties must sit down with Mr. LaPierre and his lobbying legions and convince him that--at the very least--the Clinton-era ban on assault weapons needs to be reinstated, as well as closing the infamous loophole making it too easy to buy weapons at gun shows without background checks.  If the NRA continues to be unyielding on protecting every kind of gun ownership, then, essentially, it's in passive collusion with James Holmes' crimes of last night--including the brutal shooting of children.

This isn't "taking away the guns" of responsible, everyday nonpsychopathic gun owners--who don't need or want assault rifles.  It's a necessary action to prevent future tragedies of this scale--something that both conservatives and liberals/progressives should find common ground on.