You’re out there. Your silence helps the lunatics on both sides of the issue of gun violence.

To my mind, a sensible gun owner does NOT believe someone is coming soon to take his or her weapons. A sensible gun owner does not run to the gun store every time a voice in his or her head says the war is imminent. A sensible gun owner may have a gun for hunting for food, not for blood sport or trophy. A sensible gun owner might have a gun for self-defense, but doesn’t think it’s the first tool but a last resort.

You don’t want to help the loonies. They see slippery slopes and jackbooted thugs. They argue that Madison would have owned an automatic weapon. They condescend when others misuse terms like automatic weapon. They salute the straw man of mental illness with no appreciation for their own.

Just as there are sensible gun owners, there are sensible people who won’t own guns but do want something done to curb the violence. You need to get together and find a solution that the loonies can’t shoot down (tall order). (You may know I’m not one of the sensible gun opponents. I would indeed wish away all guns if I could. However, I surrendered years ago. No one is taking anyone’s guns away. Now, what can we do about gun violence?)

You need to identify yourselves: I own a gun but I want to help limit gun violence. Don’t assume that people understand that most gun owners are sensible – your cause has been hijacked by lunatics. You need to speak publicly. You need to prove yourself to the loons who will call you GONOs (gun owners in name only) and accuse you of being tools of the demons in their heads. Wave your NRA membership at them. For god’s sake, slap the NRA up against the head for claiming to be membership-driven instead of the corporate tool they are. Pat your sidearm. Use the language of gun fetishists without becoming one. Look and act like a reasonable gun owner interested in helping to solve our problem, instead of shooting someone who tries to.

Stand up to the gun loons. You’re better equipped than the unarmed. Please help limit gun violence.