We first heard yesterday afternoon that today’s vote on the D.C. Voting Rights Act in the House had been pulled from the schedule, and this morning more details have emerged on why it happened. The Hill reports that word got around the Capitol yesterday that the National Rifle Association was planning to turn a procedural vote related to the bill into one of its infamous “test votes,” which means House members would be scored by the NRA on their friendliness toward pro-gun legislation just by deciding to bring the current D.C. voting bill to the floor. Yesterday’s 5 p.m. House Rules Committee hearing on the measure was indeed canceled shortly before it was set to begin. Politico and the Post also have stories.

It now looks like a vote on the bill has been postponed for at least a week while Democratic leaders attempt to negotiate their way out of trouble. Democrats from conservative districts are worried about voting for the bill without the gun amendment attached, risking the ire of the NRA, while Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters yesterday that he’s concerned if the gun language is included, the bill itself might fail since many Republicans would vote against it anyway and Democrats from liberal districts would be forced to vote against it as well—to say nothing of the victory it could potentially hand to the NRA.

The whole story puts into perspective how powerful the NRA really is in Congress. Their lobbyist wouldn’t even confirm on the record yesterday whether they were going to score the procedural vote, but just the rumor that they might has stopped this legislation from moving forward.

Where will the bill go from here? Negotiations are said to be ongoing, but as of now, there’s no indication that it will be brought to a vote by a certain date.

For their part, the D.C. Council signed a unanimous resolution yesterday condemning the Senate’s gun amendment.