[AnklePocket]

I'm anticipating some serious attacks on my RKBA activism so please review my defense and critique/fine-tune. Thank you very much:

"Thank you for bringing that up. Clearly we have a difference of opinion and I respect yours. Looking beyond the surface will reveal that we're on the same exact side although our versions of gun control differ.
Mine is simply to be tough on crime and I will not discriminate between guns, knives, bricks or baseball bats. Guns certainly aren't for everyone, but restricting the rights of the law abiding because of the expectant behavior of criminals tends to encourage crime. And please keep in mind that the average gun owner is among the most safety conscious and law-abiding segment of society.
It might not be a bad idea for all of us to take a closer look at the core concepts of liberty that our Founding Fathers struggled to perfect and protect and my door is always open to discuss ways that we can work together."

[Matthew Courtney]

I truly don't blame you for your irrational gun phobia.

This line is likely to put someone on the defensive. I'd soften it a bit. Something like: Many reasonable people have gun phobias before they learn more about guns and the positive role that they can play in society. Like many other things(fire, drugs, motor vehicles, etc.), they can be used in both good and bad ways. As the news media downplays the positives of lawful gun ownership and exploits the negative use of firearms, many people fear guns without ever having an opportunity to learn about them and really look at many of the the relevant issues.

I'd further define the right of gun ownership as a basic human right by correlating it with the rights to life and self defense. After all, it's not just a Constitutional right, it's an inalienable right with which we were endowed by our creator.

[geekWithA.45]

It's a bit TOO direct. (I'm usually guilty of this too, it comes from not restraining my inner Klingon)

Focus on safety and concern for law abiding folks first. Your concern is primarily for them. You know that guns are controversial, and that they aren't for everyone, but folks who are responsible and accept that responsibility shouldn't be punished. After all, the police can't be everywhere, and criminals can be anywhere.

If you must focus on the gun itself, focus on it's toolness. Compare them to chainsaws, which are a pretty good parallel. They're both dangerous if misused, but if they weren't dangerous, they wouldn't be useful.