The Washington Post sums it up.

First, a graphic showing NRA $influence$:

.. There has been virtually no progress since senators left Washington on March 23 for a two-week spring recess. And now, back home, senators are assessing the raw politics of their constituencies to determine which could cost them more in the next election: voting for expanding background checks or doing nothing.
“If there was a secret-ballot vote it would pass overwhelmingly, because from a substantive point of view most of these senators understand that this is the right thing to do,” said Matt Bennett, a gun-control advocate and senior vice president at Third Way, a centrist think tank. “What’s holding them back is pure politics.” …WaPo

Proponents of stricter measures are becoming increasingly fed up with the Senate’s inaction. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), a survivor of a mass shooting, said the delays have created “an environment so that cowards can succeed.”

“Ninety-one percent of the American people support a universal background check, and we’ve got members on the House and Senate side that are gutless,” she said. “They know in their heart of hearts that it’s the absolute right thing to do, but they are more concerned about their reelection.” …WaPo

___

After essentially killing the assault weapons ban, Harry Reid said the Senate gun bill will include “the provisions on background checks, school safety and gun trafficking reported by the Judiciary Committee. While lawmakers say they’re still trying to make a deal on universal background checks, a measure opposed by the NRA but supported by more than 90 percent of Americans, aides say there’s been no progress in the past two weeks.

As for school safety, the NRA will be announcing a plan on Tuesday that spokesman Andrew Arulanandam says will “go beyond armed personnel” — though that’s the only topic addressed in the brief details that have leaked. “Law enforcement officials will find training recommendations to prepare the armed guards who the organization believes should be available to schools,” CNN reports. “State and local officials will find guidelines on how to alter their ordinances to permit the armed guards.” We look forward to hearing the rest of the plan, and learning what gun measures Republican lawmakers won’t feel compelled to filibuster. …Daily Intel
Also at Daily Intel, proof that at least some state legislatures appear to be cleaner operations than Congress. Connecticut has come up with gun control legislation that has some serious muscle.

On Monday, lawmakers there announced they had reached an agreement that legislators called the nation’s strongest. It would make the state’s laws much stiffer by banning high capacity magazines and about 100 more assault weapons than are covered by an existing ban. It also requires background checks at gun shows and creates a registry for those convicted of weapons offenses. Thanks to bipartisan support, the bill is expected to pass easily on Wednesday, the Hartford Courant reports. …Daily Intel

Cross posted from Prairie Weather

UPDATE: The NRA has announced it solutions for gun murders in schools:

More guns. Is this “news?” The Politico:

An NRA-backed task force on Tuesday recommended allowing teachers to carry weapons in school, while avoiding any discussion of Congress’ most-talked about gun control proposals.

“Teachers should teach,” said former Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.), the chair of the task force. “But if there is personnel who has good experience, who has interest in it and is willing to go through this training,” they should be able to carry a gun on school grounds. Hutchinson said the group was recommending a 40-to-60 hour comprehensive gun safety program.

Critics immediately accused the NRA of trying to solve a problem caused by guns by adding more guns.

“Today’s NRA proposal is a cruel hoax that will fail to keep our children and schools safe,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a statement. “It is simply designed to assist gun manufacturers flood the nation and our schools with more guns and large magazine clips, which will simply lead to more violence.”

Hutchinson said allowing teachers to carry guns was necessary because many smaller school districts couldn’t afford to hire school resource officers for every campus. Citing a 1997 shooting at Pearl High School in Mississippi that was stopped when an assistant principal pulled a gun from his car and forced the shooter to flee, Hutchinson argued decreasing the “response time” for an armed defender was key to saving lives.

The 225-page National School Shield plan has eight recommendations: the adoption of a model training program for school resources officers and armed school personnel, the creation of a model law allowing teachers and other school employees to carry firearms, the placement of at least one resource officer at every school, the creation of an online tool to let schools evaluate their own safety programs, asking states to require schools to have safety and security plans, improved federal coordination and funding and the creation of school-based threat assessment teams that work with mental health professionals.

___