14 DAY TRIAL // Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' husband Mark Kelly has received a cancellation on a recent gun purchase meant to prove how easy it is get your hands on an assault weapon.
Kelly tried to buy a Sig Sauer M400 5.56mm rifle from the Diamondback Supply Company, in a bid to demonstrate that, no matter how regulated gun control is, people can still acquire powerful weapons online or at gun shows with few restrictions.
According to The Hill, he then wrote about his attempt on Facebook, stressing that the aforementioned methods of purchasing semiautomatic weapons do not usually include a proper check of the buyer's record.
"I don't have possession yet but I'll be turning it over to the Tucson PD when I do. [...] Scary to think of people buying guns like these without a background check at a gun show or the Internet. We really need to close the gun show and private seller loop hole," Kelly posts.
He became passionate about the issue after his wife was severely injured in a 2011 shooting in Tucson, in which six people lost their lives.
As we also reported, the man that went on a killing spree at the time had been approved for purchasing guns despite his history of mental illness.
The Diamondback store owner explained his refusal to sell Kelly the gun on Facebook, noting that he wishes no involvement in a political scandal over gun control regulations.
"While I support and respect Mark Kelly’s 2nd Amendment rights to purchase, possess, and use firearms in a safe and responsible manner, his recent statements to the media made it clear that his intent in purchasing the Sig Sauer M400 5.56mm rifle from us was for reasons other then [sic] for his personal use," Douglas MacKinlay said.
"I determined that it was in my company’s best interest to terminate this transaction prior to his returning to my store to complete the Federal From [sic] 4473 and NICS background check required of Mr. Kelly before he could take possession this firearm," he added.