To be fair, a great many Americans have what you, I, and most here on this forum would consider common sense--at the risk of sounding too proud or jingoistic, I'd say that we have more than our fair share of it among the human population of the world. The problem is that we're still a decided minority in a system where the majority rules. We had been doing well trying to reason with the general public, but an ounce of strong emotions and media propaganda that capitalizes on these emotions can undo tons of reasoning in the blink of an eye. Such is human nature, unfortunately.
The main weapon we have to use in self-defense is time, which also has a basis in human nature. The media will probably get bored with the subject eventually or supersede it with something more current, as they did with sharks 11 years ago. Do you remember the
Summer of the Shark, when the media (hardly just tabloids) made it seem as though everybody at the beach was getting eaten that summer, when in fact there was nothing out of the ordinary regarding shark attacks? 9-11 put a stop to that hype, but it still stands as a prime example of the media attempting to create mass hysteria for ratings. Not to belittle the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary by any means, but the gun control hype that resulted is another example of media sensationalism, this time for a cause that they actually care about, which makes it even more intense (I'd also argue that using murdered children as an excuse to take away people's rights instead of discussing the real issues, including their own culpability, is pathetic).
). Americans are becoming a dependent people who want to be coddled and cared for in every way by the ruling class, each generation more so than the last. Get used to being called a nut by those who claim simultaneously that the Constitution is too old and crusty to be relevant but we're a "young" country that has much to learn from older countries...huh? 
