My heart is broken. The Senate killed even the most modest gun legislation, something that is desired by the majority of the American people (front page, April 18). Additionally, the National Rifle Association gave up all semblance of moral authority. Only the Republican senators Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania, John McCain of Arizona, Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois and Susan Collins of Maine acquitted themselves well by voting yes to expand background checks. There is no doubt in my mind that Republicans, under political pressure from Wayne LaPierre of the N.R.A., will be marginalized to the point of irrelevancy, as the American people move inexorably to force the adoption of reasonable gun legislation. I just wish that our Republican leadership had done the right thing. We just handed President Obama the perfect way to defeat many Republicans in the next election. ALFRED HOFFMAN Jr.
North Palm Beach, Fla., April 19, 2013 The writer is a Republican fund-raiser and a former Republican National Committee finance chairman.
