It's Time for Congress to Stop Fearing the NRA

Congress should stop cowering in the face of the NRA and start passing some sensible gun laws—without fear of retribution, writes EJ Dionne. Lawmakers worry that the NRA will unleash hordes of single-issue voters on them if they call for any restraint whatsoever on firearms, but a new poll shows that NRA members are actually a lot more reasonable than the group's leaders and lobbyists, Dionne writes in the Washington Post.

The poll—conducted by a Republican NRA member—found that a clear majority of NRA members were in favor of restraints like banning people on terrorist watch lists from owning guns, Dionne notes. Among all gun owners and NRA members, 86% agreed with the statement "We can do more to stop criminals from getting guns while also protecting the rights of citizens to freely own them." The results, Dionne writes, should give Congress the courage to take "some baby steps" toward reforming gun laws.
(More gun control stories.)