I truly believe that the laws and history of the United States allow people to own guns and keep them in their homes. I may not agree with it, but I believe it's the law and I really don't think there is anything inherently bad about somebody owning a gun.

But there are excesses and last week I heard of a modest proposal that might (I say "might") help prevent things like the tragedy in Aurora, Colo.

The suggestion is that we use computer technology to keep track of the purchase of weapons and ammunition. When somebody buys several guns of a certain type at a variety of stores and gets a lot of ammunition over the internet, an alarm would go off somewhere. Local officials will pay a visit and see what's going on. No harm, no foul. And just maybe they find a Jim Holmes holed up in his apartment with bomb making stuff, too.

That's not a terribly restrictive proposal, but in a previous column I wrote I mentioned how the gun whackos won't even have a discussion about it. Anything that they view as even some moderate element of control of any kind of firearm is off the table.

I could try to summarize the arguments made in the avalanche of comments I got on my column. If I hadn't been wearing my bullet proof tactical vest I would probably be dead by now. But it's easier if I let them speak for themselves.

These are all direct, unedited, talkbacks and emails I received. I have copied them and pasted them into this article. All spelling and grammar is the way it was in the original comment. Any talkbacks that supported my suggestion (few and far between) are not included.

This is about giving the other guys a chance to be heard. I know it's long, but I hope everyone goes all the way to the end.

• Robert Davis: to conquer a nation first disarm it citizens~Adolf Hitler, you can take my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hands and what would of been wrong with some one in the theatre carring, say for instance a person like with with significant military training that could of easily stopped something like this, and I am not kidding either.

• Craig Stephenson: Most people that have guns don't go around and kill other people, its those that are unstable and have screws loose in their heads. The guns just don't go out and shoot people, its the one behind the trigger that's doing the shooting. By trying to take guns away from the people that are law biding, you are just going to make it easier for the crimminals. Wake up, that's what the crimminals want, you think they will give up the guns they have. Hell no. We the people have the right to protect us and our families. The more people that carry guns the more we the people can help stop some of these senseless acts being taken out on others.

• Robert Romaszewski: Journalists like you make me sick to my stomach. You need to get you termanolgy correct before you publish something. AUTOMATIC WEAPONS is not the correct term, automatic weapons are highly regulated by the ATF. Bad people are always going to have guns, and anything that makes it harder for law abiding citizens like you or me to go out and buy a weapon to defend ourselves, our families or our homes is absolutly against our second amendment. Guns are part of what made America great, without them we wouldn't be the greatest nation on earth. If you don't like it move to France.

• fterific: the reason most law abiding citizens buy guns is for self protection, but I think the recent surge in gun sales is because the people don't trust their government anymore.The government has become so corrupt they are slowly eroding your rights away as a law abiding citizen and when all hell breaks loose because the government has screwed up this whole society with free handouts to the lazy and other people work two and three jobs to make ends meet their will be a revolution.Politicians and their dirty money have led this country astray and the evil people who profit from war, we will never have peace

• Jack Viereg: This was a big Fing mistake to allow concealed carry. Now you have given every nut case the opportunity to shoot, maim everyone he /she sees as a challenge to his /her goals, be it financial, physical or psychological.

• Greg Thomas: You Sir are an idiot. Our Founding Fathers knew all about mass shootings... remember the Boston Massacre? It was with THAT kind of mass shooting in mind that they codified the fundamental right of self defense - against people and tyrants - into the Constitution. If you don't like, GTFO! Go live in Canada where they have your precious (and worhtless) gun registration. Go live in Europe where they live under the thumb of their government at every turn. I don't care where you go, but I will not give up my rights because of your idiocy.
  

• John Murphy: "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword". It is writers such as yourself who produce the filth of pornography on the internet (that you now embrace) and the violence of murder and mayhem at the movies. Then hide behind the first amendment, as freedom of speech. You are all the same and belong to the PFA that stands for "Pornography for all". Using your logic all members of any group are all the same. As far as the Constitution goes, I think we all should embrace just the parts we agree with. I doubt they founding father envisioned the internet either. Every time an anything is written for publication it should be reviewed to be sure it meets all social standards and is political correct. This I am sure eliminate all the filth that is created by writers, just as more gun laws would solve the misuse of them. If you really think one murder, one drive by shooting, or one 7-11 robbery would not happen because the perpetrator said "I cannot do this because I do not have a registered gun", I suggest you think about it...

• Bob: I've read your article and to be honest it made me a little sick to my stomach. I'm pretty sure that when our founding fathers wrote the constitution they never thought that freedom of speech would allow for our president (if you can call our current present that) to reach out and apologize for us being the USA. Im also positive that when they wrote the guidelines in which our nation was founded and made it very clear that the president needs to be of national origin and no one born outside of this nation shall hold the position of president, but for the sake of argument we'll just over look that. Lets face it, we no longer have the freedom to speak or someone, mostly minority will "interpret" it in their own way and be offended. So please spare me your antiquated similes of how white upper class aristocrats wrote and interpreted the Constitution hundreds a years ago about "right to bare arms". I knew it wouldn't be long before someone like you would write how guns killed all of these poor souls in Colorado. I don't disagree that a gun was the weapon of choice but hardly can you blame an inanimate object for plotting, planning, and carrying out the execution of several people in a movie theatre. Let's face it, this kid was deranged, he couldn't tell the difference between reality and science fiction. He obtained this fully automatic weapon illegally, same as all of the worthless trash thugs in the inner city who shoot each other every day do. I believe your article would have better served itself had it been in favor of conceal and carry. Imagine how this scene would of played out had there been 15 people who had been trained and completed a conceal and carry course pulling out there pieces to defend all of the defenseless ones. This excuse for a human would have been retaliated upon immediately and with great execution. His judge and jury would've been carried out expeditiously and without tax payers having to support this excuses existence through the court system. Instead you take the bleeding heart approach of how guns kill people and people shouldn't take any responsibility for their actions. I'm assuming you've already hopped on the same train that says McDonalds should be held responsible for obesity in the USA... Fact is, guns didn't do this, rather a very sick young adult did this, it wasn't because he was picked on when he was young or bullied or felt like an outcast, because which one of us hasn't felt that way at one point or another? It was because he was sick and had no way of deciphering between what is real and what isn't. Maybe you should go back to the drawing board and look at what kind of violence is being produced in our movies and video games and seek out research that suggests that this is a cause or leading factor that led up to this excuse of a human to act out on his impulses.
  
  Once again, as I read your approach to throw the NRA (which by the way I am not a member of) under the bus, maybe you could see the forest and look past the only tree in the which says GUN... One other thing, this excuse had tear gas, bullet proof armor from head to toe and red hair like the joker. Maybe your next article will be about how we should disband the military because of the bullet proof armor and tear gas or protest against WalMart because they sold him the dye for his hair or the the writer and creator of the movie batman because he caused all of this. Let's finally just end the blaming game and hold this excuse of a human being responsible for his actions, plain and simple!!!

And finally, let's hear from Ron Johnson, one of the two Wisconsin senators who really makes us proud. Here's what he said on national television.

"People will talk about unusually lethal weapons, that could be potentially a discussion you could have. But the fact of the matter is there are 30-round magazines that are just common. You simply can't keep these weapons out of the hands of sick, demented individuals who want to do harm. And when you try to do it, you restrict our freedoms."

Then he added: "If a responsible individual had been carrying a weapon, maybe, maybe they could have prevented some of those deaths, some of those injuries."

I have nightmares thinking about this crap. Some guy in the back row of that theater standing up, pulling his piece and firing at the crazed shooter at the front of the theatre.

How about the phrase "caught in a cross fire." Hmmmm.