Gabrielle Giffords Gun Control: Husband Mark Kelly Buys Gun; Why?

The husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), a victim of gun violence in a 2011 shooting at a campaign event outside a Safeway market north of Tucson, was on the gulf coast of Florida today to speak out against factors he believed led to shootings like hers. Astronaut Mark Kelly spoke on the topic of gun control Monday morning at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Fla.

He spoke in support or thorough background checks when purchasing weapons, and also spoke out against the sale of high-capacity automatic weapons. However, Kelly allegedly purchased a used AR-15 rifle from an Arizona gun store just recently.

After questioning from the media about the situation, he posted a statement on his Facebook page saying he went to the retailer to purchase a handgun and happened to see the automatic rifle, and purchased it as well. He said he will turn the AR-15 over to the Tucson Police Department when he receives it.

Kelly's wife, Giffords, was one of a number of people shot by Jared Lee Loughner at an outdoor town hall in 2011. Critics are still pondering what made Kelly think of buying the weapon in the first place. In his speech he argued that the ease of which he purchased the guns and the simplicity of the background check should lead to the closure of what he called the "gun show and private seller loophole" in most states that allows visitors to gun shows purchase some weapons without a formal background check.