To smooth the way, House Republicans plan a series of hearings beginning this week at which crime victims will testify how firepower saved their lives. One woman shopkeeper, for example, is expected to tell how she blew away an assailant with an AR-15 assault weapon. “The idea is to show firearms are an important part of public safety and self-defense,” says a GOP staffer. Gun-control advocates predict the hearings will backfire. “They’re playing to a small band of extremists,” says New York Rep. Charles Schumer.
