The heart-stopping House vote on whether to ban 19 kinds of assault weapons had come down to a near tie last week when Andrew Jacobs developed a crisis of conscience. The Indiana Democrat, who was worried that the ban might infringe on the rights of law-abiding gun owners, had already voted against the bill. But now he was disturbed by the electronic tote boards displayed at either end of the chamber. They read 213 for the ban, 214 against. At that moment, Jacobs recalled, he realized he had "an opportunity to cast a decisive vote for public safety." So while opponents...
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