It strikes me, as we watch this tragedy in Connecticut unfold that the reason why "today is not the day" for debate is that there's no longer any purpose to debating gun control. We could have a discussion, but why? The battle lines have been well and truly drawn.
And it is a battle. That's why the gun-rights advocates have been winning the last decade or so, because after the Brady Bill they realized that there's nothing to be gained by engaging in a "conversation" about gun control. That just leads to fewer guns sold, fewer guns in the hands of private citizens, and more efforts to restrict gun rights.
Gun control advocates, on the other hand, took the lesson from the Brady Bill that gun advocates could be reasoned with. You could forge a national consensus based on common ground that would restrict the trade of the most dangerous weaponry. And from that platform you could hope for future regulation and cultural shifts that would reduce gun ownership even more.
It's time to stop talking about a "conversation" on guns. There's nothing new to be said. Every tragedy, every shooting spree, every crazy NFL player that shoots his girlfriend, the same things get said.
