NRA throws support behind minibus

The National Rifle Association has come to the assistance of House leaders seeking to pass the three-in-one appropriations “minibus” set for a floor vote Thursday evening.

NRA chief lobbyist Chris Cox said Thursday that the group is urging both Republicans and Democrats to vote for the package because it includes 12 “critical” Second Amendment protections.

“I don’t know how the final vote will come out,” he said. “We are very pleased with the inclusion of the 12 protections and the fact three protections are made permanent for the first time.”

The House GOP is facing a rebellion by conservative members on the spending bill, which contains a one-month temporary spending bill to keep the government open after Friday, for two key reasons.

The bill reflects the August debt-ceiling deal’s spending cap of $1.043 trillion, and many conservatives are angry more was not done in that agreement to lower 2012 discretionary spending.

The bill also raises the limit on the value of loans the Federal Housing Administration is able to back. For these reasons, Heritage Action and the Club for Growth are pushing a “no” vote on the package.

Support from the NRA helps to counteract the opposition by other conservative groups. GOP leaders predict passage of the minibus but want to limit the number of rank-and-file defections, which forces the GOP to rely on Democrats to pass the bill in the House. Democrats are using the fact the GOP needs them to win concessions in talks on other spending bills.

The conferenced spending bill, which is to be voted on in the Senate on Friday, contains funding for Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation and Housing.

In the Justice section, appropriators for the first time made permanent a prohibition on the creation of a database of firearms owners. It also prohibits any funding to retrieve information from gun licensees or to retain information on gun owners for more than 24 hours after a background check.

It also contains a new provision preventing programs like Operation Fast and Furious, a gun-tracking program in which agents transferred weapons to suspected straw purchasers for drug cartels, and a new provision preventing limits on the import of shotguns.

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