"The NRA is arguing (among many, many other things) that the decline in gun homicides over the years proves that no new measures are needed"
Sorry       but that nra premise is false, untrue and a lie.
This year we have more shooting deaths than auto accident fatalities.
The rates are up, in case you haven't noticed.

a republican congressman who carries water for the nra has made it illegal for our national institutes of health to copile and research gun death data that could ever be used to encourage gun control.
This law is not water tight but it discourages scientists from doing work in the gun area since it would mean the grant money would be challenged right off the bat.

The DAT&firearms is likewise bound by similar barbed haywire laws that prevents even basic knowledge and meaningful statistics to be gathered, sice it could be used to encourage gun control.

machavellian ain't it?