“The challenge extends beyond lawmaking to norm-setting. The coalition of parents, faith leaders, educators, businesspeople and others in Washington who are uniting behind background checks do so in the name of a core social norm: responsibility. All our American rights — and particularly Second Amendment rights — come with responsibilities.
 
The responsibility, for instance, to minimize the danger inherently created by the circulation of weapons that can kill en masse. The responsibility to foster a culture of safety, especially for our youth.
 
When middle-aged “open-carry” activists walk into Kroger with semi-automatic rifles slung over their shoulders, they aren’t exercising their rights with an ethic of responsibility. They’re trying to intimidate their way to respect and esteem. They’re acting out, demanding attention and rejecting curbs on their desires. That’s not being a citizen. It’s being a toddler.”