John Feinblatt is the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun safety advocacy organization. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed in Chicago more than two years ago. June 2 would have been her 18th birthday.

The fact that the United States has a gun violence problem isn't up for debate. The question is what we ought to do about it.

This is an issue on which people of good faith can and do disagree. But the gun lobby's "guns everywhere" argument -- one that actor Vince Vaughn seems to subscribe to in his new British GQ interview -- isn't the answer.

When the National Rifle Association pushes for arming teachers, or forcing schools and colleges to allow guns in their buildings and on their campuses, you have to ask whose interests they really have in mind -- and what problem they think they're solving.

JUST WATCHED Jim Carrey takes on gun lobby, makes a gun parody video Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Jim Carrey takes on gun lobby, makes a gun parody video 01:35

State lawmakers across the country are rejecting the "guns everywhere" argument as well.

In this year alone, legislators have defeated gun lobby-backed "campus-carry" bills in 14 states so far. They have also shot down "K-12 carry" bills in 15 states. Tennessee, Montana and Wyoming -- along with other states with long traditions of hunting and responsible gun ownership -- all have drawn the line when it comes to allowing concealed guns at K-12 schools and forcing colleges to allow guns on campus.

JUST WATCHED Obama: Gun lobby 'willfully lied,' blocked an expansion of background checks Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Obama: Gun lobby 'willfully lied,' blocked an expansion of background checks 03:05

The Texas Legislature did pass a "campus-carry" bill May 31, but not the one that NRA lobbyists wanted . That's the silver lining -- the bill includes an important opt-out provision. Private universities won't have to allow guns on campus, and public ones will have the authority to decide where on campus guns are allowed.

We've already seen that when a law gives colleges the choice -- roughly half of U.S. states allow schools to set their own policies -- they almost uniformly use their authority to restrict the presence of guns.

That's not surprising. After all, colleges have a responsibility to protect their students, as well as an interest in protecting their reputations. If any Texas colleges do go ahead and allow guns in their classrooms, cafeterias and dorms, it'll be interesting to see how those schools fare in recruiting and retaining top faculty -- and whether students and parents will decide to spend their tuition money elsewhere.

JUST WATCHED Bloomberg launches ad blitz on guns Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Bloomberg launches ad blitz on guns 02:03

Balancing individual rights and public safety is what governing is all about. No right is unlimited. That we don't have the right to yell "fire" in a crowded movie theater is the classic example.

Of course, the NRA's "guns everywhere" ideology doesn't respect that traditional balance. It even opposes the most effective policies for preventing gun violence, such as background checks for all gun sales and reasonable limits on where people can carry guns. The NRA's leadership looked favorably upon these policies as recently as 1999, but has since renounced them, even though it puts them at odds with the vast majority of the American public.

That's why the #WearingOrange campaign trended nationally last week. Americans want common-sense solutions that reduce gun violence.

It would serve more lawmakers well to get the message, keep guns out of schools and colleges, and reject the tired ideas we continue to hear from the gun lobby.