He's written an article, two now, guaranteed to elicit strong emotional controversy, maybe even goad some idiot into a death threat--which would serve his purpose nicely. And that is, to get his name and mug splashed around the internet, a hellovalot more publicity and name-recognition than he's getting from newspaper sales. I've seen columnists do this before, as their anachronistic industry dies a slow painful death. Remember the guy a few years ago who wrote an article saying "I don't support the troops" ? It went viral in a matter of hours and the asshat had his 15 minutes of fame.
Exactly. Not only does he get his 15 minutes, but all the responses he quoted only play into the hands of gun control advocates. It makes gun owners look emotionally unstable, ignorant, and prone to lashing out unnecessarily.