Democratic lawmakers and leaders are hoping to work out a compromise as early as this week with the National Rifle Association (NRA) on legislation to further loosen gun laws in the District of Columbia.

Reps. John Tanner (D-Tenn.) and John Dingell (D-Mich.) are working with the gun-lobbying group to head off a discharge petition filed last week that would bypass committee to bring a D.C. gun bill directly to the floor.

The NRA has threatened to make the signing the petition a “key vote.” That means that Democrats in favor of gun rights who don’t buck leadership to sign it could see their NRA rating suffer.

Some Republicans are angered that the NRA, considered one of the most powerful and effective lobbying operations in Washington, is negotiating with Democrats rather than holding their feet to the fire. One aide called the strategy “naïve.”

But the NRA has reason to bargain, too. The group wants a victory to follow up on the Supreme Court ruling rejecting the District’s ban on handguns. But it is running out of time on the legislative calendar. There is only one day, Sept. 22, left on which a discharge bill can be forced to the floor, and Democrats could sidestep it procedurally by canceling votes that day.

In addition, if Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is elected president, conservative Democrats such as the members of the Blue Dog Coalition are one of the few legislative bulwarks against Democratic attempts to further regulate guns.

Spokesmen for the NRA and Tanner did not return messages seeking comment. Dingell’s office said there was no change from a statement last week that called the situation “very fluid.”

Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) filed the discharge petition last Thursday to bring a bill by Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), a Blue Dog leader, to the floor. The bill, drafted before the June court ruling, would erase some of the district’s remaining gun laws.

One hundred and nine GOP members have signed the petition. Ross’s bill has 247 co-sponsors, including 56 Democrats.

But even if Souder gets the 218 signatures needed to force the bill to the floor, it will be difficult to get a vote. After the threshold is met, Souder must wait seven legislative days. Then, rules say discharges can only be done on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. That leaves only Sept. 22 for a vote on the gun bill. But the majority can avoid a vote by not going into session on that Monday.

Signing a discharge petition is considered a slap at party leaders. But if Democrats knew there wouldn’t be a floor vote, they might be able to sign the discharge petition with impunity.

Which leaves negotiations. One possible element of a compromise would include allowing District residents to buy guns in Virginia and Maryland and transport them home. Currently, there are no licensed gun dealers in the District, so there is no legal way for residents to get a gun to their home.