How did that happen? The NRA was just wiped in a 58-39 Senate vote that defeated an amendment to a military spending bill that would allow folks with concealed weapons permits to carry their hidden guns into another state. The measure would have forced states with tough guns laws to accept gun-toting visitors from states with weaker laws.
It was an unusual loss for the gun lobby. A quite pleased Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said, “I am hopeful that our Congress will now start addressing proactive measures to reduce gun violence in this country by doing things like requiring background checks for all gun sales, particularly at gun shows. We make it too easy for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons in America.”
And don’t forget about reviving the ban on assault weapons–which President Barack Obama supports but doesn’t like to talk about.
This one vote may not represent a larger turn-around. But the NRA effort to spread concealed weapons throughout the country has backfired, showing that it possesses less political clout than might be assumed.
