There’s news from Politico that NBC had contacted the Washington D.C. police department prior to Sunday’s show to inquire about the legality of using a standard capacity magazine on the show as a prop. It appears that NBC was warned NOT to use the magazine (since it was a violation of D.C. gun law) but they went ahead and did it anyway. From Politico:
NBC was told by the Washington, D.C., police that it was “not permissible” to show a high-capacity gun magazine on air before Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” according to a statement Wednesday from the cops.
“NBC contacted [the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department] inquiring if they could utilize a high capacity magazine for their segment,” Gwendolyn Crump, a police spokeswoman, said in an email. “NBC was informed that possession of a high capacity magazine is not permissible and their request was denied. This matter is currently being investigated.”
So they knew ahead of time that possession of the magazine was illegal, but they went ahead and did it anyway. Ain’t that just the height of hubris, to assume that the 4th estate is above the law?