Some who witnessed the interview argued that Gregory's decision to display ammunition violated District of Columbia law, which prohibits the possession, sale or display of ammunition clips containing more than ten bullets. Subsequent reports noted that NBC had contacted both legal experts and District of Columbia police prior to the interview to inform them of Gregory's plan.
A few weeks after the incident, Irvin Nathan, D.C. attorney general, stated that there would be no charges filed against Gregory or NBC. Nathan added that Gregory's actions were intended to "promote the First Amendment purpose of informing an ongoing public debate about firearms policy in the United States."
Legal issues aside, the incident raises questions about the behavior of journalists. Supporters of Gregory would insist that journalists sometimes have to take stands on issues that matter, even if in doing so they introduce an element of drama and "show" into the debate. Others argue that when journalists take such stances and--even for a brief time--become the story, they divert attention from the issue and from the public conversation that should be taking place.
Did Gregory act wisely is displaying an ammunition clip in his interview with LaPierre? Do such actions underscore the importance of issues--in this case, the debate over gun legislation? Or do they become more of a distraction--and in the process, raise doubts about the credibility of those responsible for bringing us the news?
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