It’s not easy to get lawmakers to pay attention to issues other than energy and housing when gas is $4 per gallon and banks are announcing record losses due to failing mortgage investments.

Yet that’s exactly what the National Rifle Association is attempting to do by grading members on whether they sign a discharge petition to force a vote on an NRA-backed bill. Given the lobby’s clout, the chances are that many lawmakers will give it a serious look.

The Willoughby News-Herald has published an excellent story updating readers on the ongoing 101st running of the National Matches, which are being held at Camp Perry, a sprawling 640-acre Ohio National Guard base along Lake Erie in Ottawa County.