I applaud your thoughtful and well-reasoned column, but there is more to be said. Assuming your conclusion is correct, why wouldn’t the pro-gun people just agree to ban large capacity magazines and bump stocks and close the gun-show background-check loophole? That would get rid of the liberals’ hot-button issues and, as you point out, wouldn’t hurt legitimate gun ownership.

I think the answer is that many of the most dedicated pro-gun people want military-style weapons and magazines so that they can be ready to engage in armed rebellion against the government. That, I think, is what is really at the heart of the conflict — on one side are the people who want to have military-style guns so that they can be ready to oppose the government with force of arms and those who think that armed rebellion against a democratically elected government is nothing less than terrorism.