Network Anchor Still Under Gun Law Investigation

David Gregory Still Under Investigation for violation of Washington DC's gun laws

Gregory remains under investigation, a Washington Metropolitan Police Department official today told POLITICO, but the story seems like a distant memory.

For many, it was a ridiculous story from the start -- the weed that grew from a holiday news drought. News anchors and media critics voiced disdain for the story on Twitter, the Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial board called it "entirely nonsensical," even the president of the National Rifle Association called it "silly." But for some right-wing bloggers and pundits, the idea that Gregory could be exempt from established gun laws was evidence of liberal media hypocrisy.

There's nothing that says a situation can't be both silly and profound.  The violation alleged is indeed silly; simply put, possession of a 30 round magazine for a popular sport rifle simply shouldn't be a crime at all. But the point of the law being evenly applied to all citizens is profound.  If the law has any point, it is to deny all people in Washington D.C. access to high capacity rounds.  That applies to David Gregory, and whoever else at NBC is in the chain of possession that resulted in his waiving the magazine under Wayne Lapierre's nose on that fateful Sunday morning.  There is no journalistic exception to the law. Certainly not an exception for "he was doing the right thing" as argued by many on the left.

Mark Steyn has some examples of run away law enforcement, gun law and other:

Not far away from David Gregory, across the Virginia border, eleven-year-old Skylar Capo made the mistake of rescuing a woodpecker from the jaws of a cat and nursing him back to health for a couple of days. For her pains, a federal Fish & Wildlife gauleiter accompanied by state troopers descended on her house, charged her with illegal transportation of a protected species, issued her a $535 fine, and made her cry. Why is it so “obvious” that David Gregory deserves to be treated more leniently than a sixth grader? Because he’s got a TV show and she hasn’t?

I thought I blogged that one, but I can't find it.  But wait, this one might be better (or worse):

Three days after scofflaw Gregory committed his crime, a bail hearing was held in Massachusetts for Andrew Despres, 20, who’s charged with trespassing and possession of ammunition without a firearms license. Mr. Despres was recently expelled from Fitchburg State University and was returning to campus to pick up his stuff. Hence the trespassing charge. At the time of his arrest, he was wearing a “military-style ammunition belt.” Hence, the firearms charge.

His mom told WBZ that her son purchased the belt for $20 from a punk website and had worn it to class every day for two years as a “fashion statement.” He had no gun with which to fire the bullets. Nevertheless, Fitchburg police proudly displayed the $20 punk-website ammo belt as if they’d just raided the Fitchburg mafia’s armory, and an obliging judge ordered Mr. Despres held on $50,000 bail. Why should there be one law for Meet the Press and another for Meet Andrew Despres? Because David Gregory throws better cocktail parties?

$50,000 bail?  Unless they came up with that in cash, it will cost them 5 grand just to get to court.

Back in the day (sometime around my senior year in high school, and my first year in college), I affected to wear a combat jacket.  Now, to be fair, it had flowers embroidered on the epaulettes, and was drenched in patchouli oil, but would that be enough to get me branded as a dangerous reactionary these days?

Will David Gregory stand on his 5th amendment rights, and not testify against himself.  That would be ironic. Then the DC cops should find some flunky producer who procured or handled the magazine along the way, put him in jail at some ridiculous bail, and then squeeze him until he rats on Gregory.  He will.

I see this as win-win for gun rights advocates.  Keep up the pressure on Gregory.  If they let him off the hook because he didn't intend to harm anyone with it, well, magazines should be legalized because the vast majority of magazine owners have no evil intentions either.  If they do charge and convict him, we have the gleeful prospect of seeing David Gregory frog-marched to the D.C. Jail.