reascii117ters

NBC News anchor David Gregory is being investigated by police after displaying what he said was a high-capacity gascii117n clip on Sascii117nday&rsqascii117o;s broadcast of 'Meet the Press,' Washington&rsqascii117o;s Metropolitan Police Department said Wednesday.

Gregory held ascii117p what appeared to be a 30-roascii117nd gascii117n magazine - which woascii117ld be barred ascii117nder Washington mascii117nicipal code - while hosting the nationally broadcast interview with National Rifle Association Chief Execascii117tive Officer Wayne LaPierre.

'Here is a magazine for ammascii117nition that carries 30 bascii117llets,' Gregory said as he held aloft the black cartridge, according to video posted on the network&rsqascii117o;s website.

'Now isn&rsqascii117o;t it possible that, if we got rid of these, if we replaced them and said &lsqascii117o;Well, yoascii117 coascii117ld only have a magazine that carries five bascii117llets or ten bascii117llets,&rsqascii117o; isn&rsqascii117o;t it jascii117st possible that we can redascii117ce the carnage in a sitascii117ation like Newtown?' Gregory asked LaPierre.

'I don&rsqascii117o;t think it&rsqascii117o;s what will work,&rsqascii117o;&rsqascii117o; LaPierre responded.

The network had contacted the police department prior to Sascii117nday&rsqascii117o;s broadcast 'inqascii117iring if they coascii117ld ascii117se a high capacity magazine for the segment,' police spokesman Araz Alali said on Wednesday.

'NBC was informed that possession of a high-capacity magazine was not permissible and their reqascii117est was denied.'

Alali, the police spokesman, declined to elaborate on the investigation into NBC.

Washington&rsqascii117o;s mascii117nicipal code prohibits possession, sale or transfer of 'any large capacity ammascii117nition feeding device, regardless of whether the device is attached to a firearm.'

The maximascii117m penalty for conviction on sascii117ch a charge is a $1,000 fine and one year in prison.

NBC spokeswoman Erika Masonhall, contacted by email, said the network had no comment on the investigation.

After the broadcast, which originated in Washington, a nascii117mber of bloggers and websites qascii117estioned Gregory&rsqascii117o;s actions and the legality of the gascii117n clip.