We are waiting for one good idea. We are hungry for it — just one idea that a majority can rally behind in the long struggle to curtail gun violence.

In the wake of the horrifying mass murder at Tree of Life synagogue in October, Mayor Bill Peduto signed into law three controversial bills that would, among other provisions, ban the use of certain weapons with large-capacity magazines and allow courts to confiscate weapons temporarily from those who pose an “extreme risk” to themselves or others.

This local effort apparently triggered action in Harrisburg, where competing bills have been introduced since early April. Two Republican-sponsored bills reaffirm the state’s authority to regulate firearms; another — a so-called “red flag” bill, similar to Pittsburgh’s but emerging from Philadelphia-area legislators — would expand the ability of family members or police to confiscate the weapons of someone assessed, somehow, as an imminent threat.

All of these efforts have bipartisan groups of supporters and detractors. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, favors the red-flag legislation, but both the National Rifle Assocation and the American Civil Liberties Union have expressed reservations about its scope and clarity.

Against this backdrop, Pittsburgh was the site of a concealed-carry convention in mid-May that drew more than 15,000 attendees, well above the 10,000 expected.

All these efforts, then, are contrary or redundant. Both sides of the debate continue to talk past each other. The people are ill-served by the chaos and conflict.

What would constitute progress? What is a reasonable step for us to take together at this point in history?

Only 20% of Americans say they would repeal the Second Amendment, but in almost every year since the early 1990s, a majority have told pollsters they support stricter gun laws.

The most reasonable change would be closing the private seller loophole. It is often called the “gun show loophole,” but the problem is bigger than that name implies. Only stores or individuals who hold federal firearms licenses are required to perform background checks on would-be buyers; sales on the private market are exempt.

An FBI study of mass killings from 2000 to 2013 revealed that a majority of perpetrators obtained their guns legally, but “legally” may encompass some who bought them privately, without a background check.

Congress, under either party’s control, has considered and failed to pass “loophole” legislation many times. Some states, however, have managed to do so. Pennsylvania should join their ranks.

Staunch gun-rights supporters are correct in noting that the vast majority of gun owners will never commit crimes and that the country’s horrific mass slayings are perpetrated by the mentally or emotionally ill. They should therefore welcome safeguards that help a civilized society identify the dangerously inclined and prevent them from obtaining weapons.

Those who support Second Amendment rights should be the first to encourage and affirm conscientious, responsible gun ownership.

First Published: June 17, 2019, 10:30 a.m.