Heathcliffe said, "The NRA problem, though, where it is a problem, stems from a feeling of impotence among today's militiamen because the government's firepower against which they may someday have to react has increased beyond any ability they have to match it."

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Yes, I was thinking something similar. I understand the militia issue in 18th century context, but today's firepower makes things different. Frankly, it's not the US military that concerns. Although they have the firepower, I don't think they have the will or the numbers to completely subdue the nation if it came to that. Much more subversive is the slow creep of softer government powers that get granted under the cover of crisis (think Patriot Act and the TSA).

I've seen it said disingenously that gun violence is down overall in the last 20 years. That may well be true, but school-based mass shootings are up, and the percentage share of them for the US vs. the rest of the world is a statistic that doesn't lie. Maybe the right approach is a sustained and consistent public information campaign. But if I had my druthers, I'd see the 2nd Amendment defined more narrowly and private ownership of automatic and semi-automatic weapons restricted massively. Put THOSE violators in prison instead of the small-time drug users.