Gun Control: Gabrielle Giffords' Husband Mark Kelly's Rifle Purchase Rescinded; Why?

Gun control advocate Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., found out his recent firearm purchase will not be fulfilled. Kelly's wife was shot outside a Safeway supermarket off Ina Road near Tucson in 2011. Since the shooting, Kelly has been a vocal proponent of stricter gun control legislation, which is why he raised more than a few eyebrows when he purchased an AR-15-type rifle from Diamondback Police Supply on March 5, as previously reported by the Latin Times.

Diamondback's owner, Doug MacKinlay said on Facebook that he found it in the store's "best interest" to halt the purchase. Kelly, an astronaut, took to auditoriums across the country to spread his gun control message. He made the ease of purchasing firearms paramount in many of his speeches, which caught the attention of MacKinlay.

"While I support and respect Mark Kelly's Second Amendment rights ... his recent statements to the media made it clear that his intent [to purchase] ... was for reasons other [than] his personal use."

Mark Kelly said that he planned to purchase the weapon and then turn it over to the Tucson Police Department, ostensibly after making his point, but planned to hold onto a handgun he purchased during the same visit.

Mark Kelly noted his background check was processed momentarily after the sale but MacKinlay said that his store would not complete the subsequent Federal paperwork required to transfer the gun to Kelly. Diamondback gave Kelly a refund and MacKinlay said the rifle would be donated to a charitable law enforcement organization.