We’ve come to a place in our political discourse when government action often is perceived as more important than respecting the traditions and institutions upon which that very government derives its authority. Many Americans are impatient with the process required by our system of checks and balances.

The recent announcement by President Obama regarding his “executive actions to reduce gun violence” certainly reveals this impatience:

“But we do have to feel a fierce sense of urgency about it. In Dr. King’s words, we need to feel the fierce urgency of now. Because people are dying and the constant excuses for action no longer do, no longer suffice. That’s why we’re here today, not to debate the last mass shooting but to prevent the next one.”

For some on the Right, the idea of executive action on guns is seen as a gross violation of the Constitution and a way for…