UNDER PRESSURE

Senate Gun Bill May Lose Key Clause

Due to NRA lobbying.

Seriously, what is left in the Senate’s gun bill? On Wednesday, increased penalties for straw purchases of guns—one of the key provisions—looked in danger of being cut from the bill following pressure from the .... you guessed it, National Rifle Association. The provision passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee without a problem, but the NRA has called for the language to be changed so the penalties can be applied only if police can prove the straw purchaser intended to break the law. Meanwhile, Asa Hutchinson, the former Republican congressman who led the NRA’s school safety initiative, said on Tuesday he was “absolutely” in favor of gun background checks. But the provocateur couldn’t stop there, once again calling for guns to be in every school.