In an editorial, The New York Times writes:

When Congress displayed its timidity about gun safety legislation last year after the school massacre in Connecticut, it became clear that only direct political action from voters could force the tough new controls that most Americans wanted.

A crucial opportunity to bypass Congress takes place on Tuesday, when citizens of Washington State vote on whether to require deeper background checks on gun buyers — one of the reforms rejected when Congress buckled to the bullying propaganda of the gun lobby.

. . .

The stakes go far beyond Washington. Politicians elsewhere will be watching to see whether the concerted, well-financed campaign to pass 594 can overcome the powerful National Rifle Association. Victory could shatter the N.R.A.’s claims of invincibility and stoke a national trend, much the way determined grass-roots work has eroded statehouse opposition to same-sex marriage.

Read the full editorial here.