But probably only because of the tone of voice

In the case of the Virginia Tech rampage, a state-appointed commission of inquiry has come to the astonishing conclusion that better locks are needed on classroom doors and that troubled students should be more closely monitored. The Newark tragedy, since the killers have been identified and several turn out to be illegal immigrants, has produced renewed demands for harsher immigration regulations. Practically no one has raised any questions about this nation's gun laws or, more accurately, this nation's lack of gun control legislation.

Uh, practically every news outlet and every gun grabbing anti-rights organization has. The reason you don't hear much about it is because nobody is listening to the message because honest, logical people realize we don't enforce the laws we have now and that criminals simply don't obey them anyway.

One of the few exceptions is the country's police chiefs. Last week, the International Association of Chiefs of Police issued a report that calls for the licensing of all gun sales -- even private ones. The IACP recommendation would close what the chiefs call the "gun show loophole" that permits buyers to avoid mandatory background screening by purchasing weapons through private transactions.

One would think a report from the nation's top cops on an issue such as gun control would occasion a sharp, sober discussion among the American public. Such, inexplicably, is not likely to happen....

No, not when the report was bought, paid for, and written by the Joyce Foundation. Also, the common police officer (you know, the ones who actually are the ones on the street and not sitting behind a desk) overwhelmingly think people should protect themselves. 

Rice speaks perceptively about the challenge of getting public conversations on a different track than the confrontive and combative postures that characterize most discussions these days. He talks about the need to center debates in the public arena around values and policy, not around politics. Values-centered conversations will embrace a strong sense of citizenship and a concern for the common good; if we frame questions around those kinds of values first and then around the issues we need to resolve, we may begin to get somewhere.

Sorry, you lost me at "the common good" - that's double speak for "we know how to control your life better than you do". My respect for my fellow man is one of selfishness. By allowing others freedom to choose the lives they see fit for themselves, I allow the same for me and my own. I don't let the KKK speak at rallies because I like what they have to say, I do it so that when it comes time for me to speak, I can.

And nothing embraces a strong sense of citizenship than trust. I trust you to take responsibility for your own life, I expect you to trust me as well. And if that means I'm going to own a firearm or want to buy one without hassle, you should trust me to do so.

You can't talk values and demand I adhere to yours and honestly expect to have a conversation. It's like saying the Christians want to hold values-centered discussions to combat homosexuality - someone is getting the shaft here and they're not going to like it.

The issue you need to resolve is keeping those who commit crimes, regardless of the tool used, away from society. It is plain as the sky is blue that the vast majority of crimes are committed by repeat offenders. Look for yourself, it's easy. Just read every murder story you can for the next month. Mark how many of the murders involve someone who has had multiple arrests.

It would be interesting to see where a values-centered discussion about guns might lead us. Rather than some discussants wrapping themselves in the Second Amendment while others depict the NRA as a misguided vestige of Western frontier days, it might prove both useful and enlightening to begin the conversation by searching for those values that would enlarge and enhance the good for all of us, recognizing that we live in an extremely fragile and perilous society.

Fragile my ass. I'm not fragile. I don't need to be coddled and taken care of like a 2 year old. Just because there are others who can't cope without Uncle Sam's stern hand guiding their every move doesn't mean we're all like that.

Face it, those who can't own firearms because of their own fear of responsibility tend to push that view on others (i.e. projection). You can call it whatever you like, "values-centered", "Common-sense gun laws", "civic minded", yadda yadda yadda. What it really is is control that you seek.

And many of us aren't exactly open to the idea.