( CNN ) In case we need any reminder that gun politics can be over the top , there 's the recent report that gunmaker PARA USA regrets supplying weapons to the action flick `` Taken 3 '' and is calling for a boycott . Why ? It 's not because they 're feeling guilty about triggering violent fantasies in some viewers , but because the star of the movie series , Liam Neeson , had the gall to tell a reporter that there were too many guns in America . There 's no doubt Americans are worried about gun violence and support some proposals to keep guns away from potentially dangerous people . For example , in poll after poll , Americans of all political stripes , including gun owners , support background checks on all firearm purchases . ( A requirement of that sort was enacted by popular vote last November in Washington state . ) California , New York , and a handful of other states , altogether constituting one-quarter of the U.S. population , have regulations on gun design , transactions , possession or use that go well beyond federal requirements . On the other hand , public opinion in support of protecting gun rights has grown in recent decades , and in red states there has been a highly successful effort to deregulate guns . The political environment is surely challenging on this issue , but we see several promising policy approaches that are especially well suited to balancing different interests while advancing shared goals . The development of `` smart '' guns promises to give gun owners a new option that many of them would value , namely , a weapon that could only be unlocked by a `` key '' they control . A gun of this sort has been developed by the German manufacturer Armatix , utilizing RFID technology of the same sort that we have all become accustomed to with our car keys . These `` personalized '' guns wo n't reduce violence by reckless owners , but the technology will cut down on misuse by curious children , suicidal teens , thieves or other unauthorized users who get their hands on the weapon . It seems ironic that the effort to block the introduction of such guns in the United States , so far successful , is led by organizations that advocate gun rights . Most gun assaults occur outside the home . When an underage youth , gang member or ex-con is picked up carrying a gun , there is a good chance that a serious crime has been prevented . Judges must do their part by treating illicit gun carrying as a serious offense , rather than dismissing such cases as `` victimless crimes . '' By analogy , most drunk-driving cases are `` victimless '' in that no one was harmed , but overall the successful crusade ( by MADD and other groups ) to have DUI treated as a serious crime has saved thousands of lives . Reducing illicit carrying would have the same effect . Recent mass shootings have brought mental health experts and gun violence prevention advocates together to forge sensible approaches . Federal law disqualifies from gun ownership those who have been involuntarily committed to a mental institution or otherwise ruled mentally incompetent by a judge . That disqualification can only be effectively implemented in states that enter their mental health records into the national background check system kept by the FBI , a small step in the right direction . But federal law is of little use in responding to most cases where a psychotic individual poses a threat . A carefully crafted policy is needed to allow judges to order guns removed from those who are found to be dangerous to themselves or others due to mental illness . Such quick response policies should be coupled with a process to restore gun rights when the danger has dissipated . In sum , guns , like many other commodities , create risks as well as benefits . In regulating cars , liquor , medical procedures , and much else , there is a balance between risks and benefits . That common-sense approach does n't have the drama of a Liam Neeson film , but it is our best hope going forward .
Actor Liam Neeson criticizes gun culture in U.S. ; in response , gun advocates call for boycott of his movie . Philip Cook and Kristin Goss : There 's actually a common sense approach to the gun issue .