According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 31,089 people died of gun violence in the US in 2011. The frequency of gun deaths is roughly similar to the frequency of deaths from breast cancer or prostate cancer or motor vehicle accidents. We work hard to reduce deaths from those causes but gun deaths are treated differently.

Most gun deaths were reported only as local news. The Sandy Hook killings captured national attention and brought a call for action but even a diluted gun control bill with limited background checks failed to pass. We respond to each gun-related massacre with a new legislative effort then act surprised when nothing passes. Some say that insanity is doing the same thing again and again but expecting a different result.

More than half of gun deaths are suicides. Most of the rest are homicides by people who know each other.   Having a gun, most often a handgun, nearby when rage or severe depression occur creates opportunities for suicide or murder by people who would not consider such an act under calmer circumstances.   The evidence is clear that nations with strict gun laws experience only a tiny fraction of the gun violence seen in the US.   The CDC is our national public health agency, responsible to recommend ways to improve public health and safety, but the National Rifle Association managed to push a bill through Congress which prohibits the CDC from advocating gun control. It has been safe for legislators to ignore the facts and the wishes of voters because the fire in our hearts burns out quickly and we await the next sensational tragedy while the daily carnage continues. Meanwhile the NRA and its allies consistently find and fund candidates who oppose gun control legislation.

It is challenging to decide exactly what is needed and harder to bring it about but perhaps gun control advocates can organize around some basic principles and stick to them for the long legislative battle. What follows are some thoughts that might guide us.

1. A background check should be required for every transfer of gun ownership to rule out buyers who are on the terrorist watch list and those with certain criminal convictions, restraining orders or court findings of mental incompetence.
2. All firearms should be registered to an owner in much the same way that cars are registered.
3. Concealed carry of loaded firearms on your person should be banned for all except law enforcement personnel. Guns that people carry should be visible.
4. Except for law enforcement, all firearms should be banned from some locations including bars, areas around schools, government offices, and other sensitive areas.
5. Private ownership of automatic weapons (machine guns), magazines larger than 10 rounds and ammunition designed to pierce body armor (cop-killer bullets) should be banned.
6. CDC should explore gun control practices in democracies with low rates of suicide and domestic homicide then recommend similar measures that would be effective in the US.

Banning some firearms and ammunition should not be a constitutional problem. The Second Amendment is about arms generally, not guns specifically.   We can add certain guns and ammunition to current laws banning private ownership of arms like grenades, bombs, and chemical weapons.

Existing concealed carry education and permit programs can be modified to create open-carry permits for carrying firearms in public places. The education should include warnings to avoid handling guns in highly emotional situations. Unfortunately, we seem to be headed in a different direction. On April 24, 2013 the Judiciary Committee of the North Carolina House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow concealed carry of loaded weapons in bars and on college campuses. The full House may vote on the bill before this column is published. It is co-sponsored by Randolph County Representative Allen McNeill. What is this former law enforcement officer thinking? Has he forgotten last year’s rash of bar shootings in Greensboro? Adding loaded guns to bars and college campuses – where inhibitions are often reduced and emotions run high – is a recipe for spur of the moment murders and suicides.

One idea for sustaining public attention is to systematically demonstrate the ridiculousness of what is currently legal. If such demonstrations ever take place, I’d prefer that the guns be obvious fakes and certainly not loaded weapons. Imagine for example, solo demonstrators or small groups of them openly carrying assault rifles and handguns in places where it is legal to do that. That would include sidewalks near banks, schools, and the State Capitol; restaurants where legislators congregate, our residential neighborhoods and other sensitive places. The more unkempt and disreputable the gun carriers look, the more effective their effort might be.

If we want a different result, we need to keep this issue on the minds of legislators and the public so that the debate and the development of reasonable laws can proceed. Conversations among friends and family will help. We also need to let legislators know that we are serious about electing people who will support our positions with their votes.   If voters care and speak up, there will be pro-regulation candidates in both parties. If not, the insane cycle of preventable deaths will continue.