David French: “Unlike the stupid hysterics over net neutrality, tax policy, or regulatory reform, the gun debate really is — at its heart — about life and death. It’s about different ways of life, different ways of perceiving your role in a nation and a community. Given these immense stakes, extra degrees of charity and empathy are necessary in public discussion and debate. At the moment, what we have instead are extra degrees of anger and contempt. The stakes are high. Emotions are high. Ignorance abounds. Why bother to learn anything new when you know the other side is evil?”

“It takes more than a constitution or a government to hold a nation together. The ties that bind us as Americans are strong and durable, but the great challenges that formed them are receding into the past. Geographic differences create cultural differences, and cultural differences hasten ever-greater geographic change. Like clusters with like, and it results in the fury we saw last night, when one of the bluest communities in America vented its rage at the red emissaries in their midst.”

“A nation cannot endure forever when its people are consumed with such hate.”

A new CBS News poll finds 65% of Americans “now say laws covering the sale of guns should be stricter – an eight-point increase from December. It is the highest number recorded in this poll for stricter gun sale laws.”

“The rise has been primarily among Republicans and independents, with a large increase among Republicans from last December. Democrats remain in favor. “

Amy Walter: “One of the most enduring and predictable answers is that the NRA squelches any and all forward movement on the issue of gun legislation. Many point to the power of the gun lobby as the most insidious and powerful force in all of politics.”

“However, pointing the finger at the gun lobby misses the underlying values that define the owning of a gun in the first place — the values of safety and freedom. In the American version of the ‘hierarchy of needs,’ these two values are at the top. According to Pew Research polling, 67 percent of gun owners own a weapon for ‘protection.’ Guns = safety and security. Those who want more gun restrictions argue that guns are often used to harm not protect. That even the most conscientious gun owners can cause accidents. But, gun owners don’t see things that way. That may not make sense to many of us who don’t own one, but it does to them.”

“Successful politicians and political movements meet people where they are, not where they believe they should be. Portraying the NRA as an all-powerful manipulator of gullible gun owners not only insults gun owners but only further deepens the cultural divide on the issue.”

Playbook: “They believe the CNN town hall has provided a visual that the masses in this country want changes to the gun laws of this country. They believe this is false, despite polling that shows a movement in this direction. Seeing Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a long-time ally, change his position under public pressure has many nervous that he is just the first Republican willing to make concessions on the issue.”

“Look for them to support, or at least not try to stop, legislation to ban bump stocks and close mental health loopholes. Raising the age limit for purchasing the AR-15 would be a lot tougher for them to swallow. Still, they realize that their biggest advantage has been winning elections. The stakes have never been higher for the NRA than in the 2018 midterm elections. And the president of the United States has publicly said the NRA wants to cut some sort of gun-control deal, so they’ll need to find some safe ground.”

“The Democrats are the party of Lisa Simpson and Republicans are happily the party of Homer, Bart, Maggie and Marge.”

— Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), quoted by The Hill, comparing the gun control debate to the cartoon show “The Simpsons.”

“After a week of media silence following the school shooting in Florida, the National Rifle Association went on the offensive in its first public response to the massacre, pushing back against law enforcement officials, the media, gun-control advocates and the teenage survivors of the massacre who have pleaded for stricter gun laws,” the Washington Post reports.

“The NRA also released an advertisement Thursday morning that said ‘the mainstream media love mass shootings’ and claimed that members of the media benefit from covering mass shootings in an effort ‘to juice their ratings and push their agenda.'”

“Crooked Hillary said that I want guns brought into the school classroom. Wrong!”

— Donald Trump, on Twitter on May 21, 2016.

Jonathan Swan: “Every few months, friends, family and advisers like Ivanka Trump, Rupert Murdoch and Gary Cohn fantasize Trump will tap his superpower as a force for good — to pass a big infrastructure bill, fight global warming, strike an epic immigration deal. Now, they dream of new gun controls to protect schools, kids and the innocent. He could, but he almost certainly won’t.”

“He may not fully understand the cultural significance of guns in middle America. But he believes that it’s cultural, not political, issues that truly move the needle.”

“Whenever there is a mass shooting, the National Rifle Association has a well-rehearsed response: Say very little until the inevitable discussion about gun control cools down,” the New York Times reports.

“But as the leaders of the country’s most influential gun advocacy group kept quiet after the school shooting last week in Parkland, Fla., that claimed 17 lives, a furious debate played out on NRATV, the organization’s online video channel.”

“Its hosts spoke chillingly of leftist plots to confiscate weapons, media conspiracies to brainwash Americans into supporting gun control and a ‘deep state’ campaign to undermine President Trump.”

“Obviously, there’s a lot of politics in it. And it’s interesting that so many of these people that commit the mass murders end up being Democrats, but we don’t want to, the media doesn’t talk about that either.”

— Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), quoted by Roll Call, on last week’s mass shooting at a Florida high school.

Bump stock manufacturer Slide Fire ran a President’s Day promotion over the weekend using a coupon code designed to appeal to President Trump.

New York Times: “In certain right-wing corners of the web — and, increasingly, from more mainstream voices like Rush Limbaugh and a commentator on CNN — the students are being portrayed not as grief-ridden survivors but as pawns and conspiracists intent on exploiting a tragedy to undermine the nation’s laws.”

“In these baseless accounts, … the students are described as ‘crisis actors,’ who travel to the sites of shootings to instigate fury against guns. Or they are called F.B.I. plants, defending the bureau for its failure to catch the shooter. They have been portrayed as puppets being coached and manipulated by the Democratic Party, gun control activists, the so-called antifa movement and the left-wing billionaire George Soros.”

Tampa Bay Times: “The conspiracy climbed to a new level when an aide to state Rep. Shawn Harrison, R-Tampa, was fired after emailing a Tampa Bay Times reporter with a stunning assertion: ‘Both kids in the picture are not students here but actors that travel to various crisis when they happen.'”