During the Congressional hearing on gun violence Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the NRA, displayed a glaring irrationality.  He failed to grasp his irrationality when confronted with it.  We ought to take this into account when making rational decisions about gun regulations and the American problem with civil gun violence.  (Yes, I understand the irony of "civil gun violence."  It's a particularly American thing, for what that's worth.)

Mr. LaPierre insisted that background checks, universal background checks, ought not be considered because criminals buy guns.  Sounds good, until you understand that criminals can buy guns because there are no universal background checks, and that universal background checks would help keep guns out of the underworld gun market.  

I will not assign motive to LaPierre.  I do observe, however, the irrationality of his thinking, words, and deeds.  Whether he is "merely" selfish, self-serving, and crazy or selfish, self-serving, crazy, and evil is a distinction that will become available in time.  Whatever the outcome of that final distinction, it's more than enough to know for now that Mr. LaPierre and the NRA, by extension, have become irrational and deserve to be treated as irrational.  

That's entirely on them.  We who are not irrational have no obligation to become so.