Those of us who favor sensible gun policy have been duped into allowing the NRA to frame the issue.
Do we call FAA regulation of airlines -- airplane control?
Do we call FDA regulation on food -- food control?
Do we call DOT regulation of autos -- automobile control?
NO! We call them airline safety, food safety, and automobile safety.
We need to do the same thing with firearms. We are not talking about "gun control" (with all the overtones that the NRA has now attached to that phrase). We are talking about gun safety. Government takes responsibility for the safety of the public in a variety of arenas. This is just another one. It's not extraordinary that State governments, Congress, or the President concern themselves with gun safety.
Drunk drivers killed 16,000 people in 1991 and drunk driving became a "cause celebre" that resulted in a variety of bills and measures that made the roads safer. We had over 30,000 gun fatalities this year. Estimate indicate that by 2015, gun fatalities will be more numerous than fatalities from all auto accidents.
Government regulates commerce to serve "the public interest." That's why we need to stop buying into the hyperbolic debate on "gun control" and discuss "gun safety."
Yes, it is only words, but words frame political issues and give them symbolic meaning. So, gun safety advocates need to use the proper words to re-frame our current debate.