Let's go back into the wayback machine. I remember when the gays were trying to negotiate about getting our legal rights equalized as it relates to our relationships. For a long time I wrote on this board that I did not give a shit if it was called a cocksucker's license or civil union or whatever else y'all wanted if it meant I could have equal rights in this country. Republicans decided to fuck around and find out on that one too. There came a point where my side had convinced enough people and we were done arguing. We got what we wanted, and I remember a whole bunch of Republicans who had heretofore been against giving us "civil unions" were suddenly all in favor of that if we just wouldn't call it marriage. Nah, you had your chance to do some common sense negotiating and you decided to be dicks. Well guess what, we got what we wanted and we got to coopt the name as well. Fuck all of you who wouldn't even think about compromising.
The same fate will befall the gun lobby eventually. You can keep having everything you want for now, with a risk of it all going away at some point in the future. Or, you can negotiate away some of what you want now and you'll be able to keep most everything else in perpetuity. Y'all are picking the "everything now" option, you just need to be prepared for the consequences. There are going to be a lot of cold dead hands before this is all over with.
And FYI for those who weren't around. Many of the people on this thread participated in these debates, and many of them at some point were on the side of saying that gays didn't deserve equal rights. Most people came around eventually, but I got a pretty big thrill over those people who, faced with the idea that they had lost completely, were suddenly anxious to compromise. Sadly, most of those people are gone at this point so I don't get to rub it in with my presence anymore. I saw all that to say that for all of you, it isn't too late to think long and hard about what you are willing to give up, because if you don't at some start agree to negotiate in good faith, you will eventually have to give up way way way way more than you are being asked for today.