Mass shootings test power of an NRA in turmoil

Mass shootings in Texas and Ohio that left 31 people dead over the weekend are raising new calls for background checks on gun sales, testing the power of a National Rifle Association plagued by months of internal turmoil.

Gun reformers on Capitol Hill, long frustrated by the gun lobby’s power to block tougher laws, believe they have a new opportunity given the NRA’s perceived weakened state.

The NRA is “not as powerful” as it was, Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), who co-authored a bipartisan background checks bill with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), said in a phone interview with The Hill on Monday.