Matthew Tully

Let’s just listen to the words for a moment. Let’s put aside personality conflicts, partisan differences and decades of baggage, and just listen to the words.

“There are more mass shootings in the United States than in any other country in the world. It’s not even close. I do not think Americans are more violent (or) are worse human beings. I believe we cannot accept this, not now and not ever.”

It’s that simple: The current level of gun violence is unacceptable and we can do better. That’s not a solution, but it is a great starting point for agenda-setting and for what should be the national goal of reduced gun violence.

Of course it’s true that there’s not a realistic path that would make this country free of gun violence, or close to it, whether it’s gun violence related to terrorism or the much more common shootings that plague our cities. But we can do better. Anyone who tells you something different, who acts as if this is the best we can do, is just giving up.

Here are a few other words worth hearing, and I probably should tell you that like the words above they were offered by Hillary Clinton, who spoke Sunday at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Indianapolis. But before some of you dismiss the words because of the messenger, at least listen to them.

“I know we can respect the Second Amendment and make common-sense reforms,” she said. “... I really believe the American people deserve better. In fact, every survey I’ve looked at shows that there is a very big majority of Americans who favor this path, and a considerable majority of gun owners agree.”

Now I understand that in the minds of some who are reading this Clinton is absolutely unfit, ethically and politically, to serve as president. That’s fine. We can let the voters sort that out between now and November. But here’s an important truth: Her views on gun policy are mainstream, moderate and respectful of the millions of citizens in this country who legally own guns.

Along with most Americans, she believes universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons could help prevent some of the violence that plagues the nation. She opposes a ridiculous law that gives the gun industry unique protection from lawsuits, and she supports strengthening laws aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, those with severe mental illnesses and people on the terrorist watch list.

Maybe I’m wrong, but these sound like reasonable steps — steps that are at least worth an honest debate in Congress. But more than anything, Clinton’s words offered a simple but accurate point: We can do better. And here’s another point: Even doing a bit better would save lives.

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the nation’s pre-eminent expert on reducing gun violence. Perhaps I don’t have a clue on how to stop one person from killing another. But it sure seems that in addition to the ideas Clinton mentioned, there are a lot of brilliant minds out there with a lot of ideas on how to tackle the country’s epidemic of gun violence without harming the right of law-abiding Americans to possess guns.

Some of these things can be done without new laws, such as the hard work done night after night on Indy’s streets by the Ten Point Coalition. Others will require a change in policy.

Now each time I write about this issue I am flooded with angry emails. And I do mean angry. For some, this issue is a black-and-white matter that boils down to personal freedom and personal security. Any new restriction is seen as nothing more than a devious starting point that will end with government coming to seize their guns. That latter message is one that the National Rifle Association has expertly exploited, using it to treat the most reasonable of proposals as radical.

Clinton: Cities are where things are 'getting done'

I’ve also been informed repeatedly that any focus on new gun laws means that I don’t care about fighting ISIS or other sponsors of terrorism. I do want to address this mind-numbing suggestion with a walk-and-chew-gum response: You know, it’s quite possible to support both intense and broadened efforts to fight global terrorism, and a few modest laws that could make life tougher for those who want to do harm to others.

Before Clinton spoke Sunday, the conference of mayors heard from Buddy Dyer, the longtime mayor of Orlando, who talked to his colleagues about the horrifying morning of June 12, when he received a phone call about violence at a local nightclub that ended up being the worst mass shooting in the nation’s history. Earlier in the day, the conference heard from Joe Riley, the former mayor of Charleston, S.C., whose city suffered its own mass shooting a year ago this month.

By this time next year, the sad truth is that more such shootings will likely have occurred, and in cities such as Indianapolis dozens of people will have died from the type of gun violence that doesn’t receive nearly as much attention but does cause a tremendous amount of pain.

So some of you may not like the messenger, and I understand that, but Clinton’s message Sunday was simple and correct: We can do better. We can at least try.

Tully: Joe Donnelly’s position on guns no longer tolerable

You can reach me at matthew.tully@indystar.com or on Twitter: @matthewltully.