Congress should enact a yet-to-be-proposed Newtown children's gun control act.

This legislation should address the Second Amendment rights and the consequent responsibilities of U.S. citizens.

As well as requiring background checks, limiting the size of ammunition magazines and the other usual issues addressed by gun-control legislation, this act would specify that the registered owner of any firearm (and it would be required that all firearms have registered owners) is responsible for any injuries, deaths or harm to property caused by this firearm, regardless of who may be in temporary possession and control of it.

The owner of a firearm used to commit a murder would be an accessory to that crime, regardless of how the murderer got possession of that firearm.

I realize this proposal has a snowball's chance in Hell of enactment, but we have to do something.