It looks like Katie Couric’s documentary on guns is a target for more controversy. According to Ammoland, the documentary’s producer actually broke federal law in trying to describe how easy it is to buy guns, which was supposed to show how more laws are needed. From Ammoland:
“During this interview, Ms. Soechtig openly discussed how she sent a producer of the film, who resides in Colorado, to Arizona to purchase firearms (including three pistols) privately.
“According to Ms. Soechtig, the producer met a private seller in a parking lot of a local Wendy’s, and in less than four hours and without a background check, obtained a Bushmaster rifle and three handguns.
“It is unknown what happened to these firearms and whether or not they returned with the producer to Colorado. Presumably, this crime was committed in order to highlight what the film’s proponents believe to be current inadequacies federal firearm laws, and to educate viewers on the process for obtaining a firearm. As Ms. Soechtig stated, all of the film’s content was “news to me.” Apparently, existing federal law prohibiting private interstate firearms transfers is also something that will also come as “news” to Ms. Soechtig and her staff.
“Under current federal law it is a violation for any person to transfer, sell, trade, give, transport, or deliver any firearm to any person who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe does not reside in the state in which the transferor resides. (18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(5).) Thus, by asking a private party in Arizona to sell the Colorado producer firearms, Ms. Soechtig and her staff induced an otherwise law abiding citizen to commit a federal crime. There was nothing legal about what Ms. Soechtig and her staff did, despite their slanted attempt to portray in their documentary the private sale of firearms as unregulated and legal.”
This comes after a firestorm of criticism of the documentary for editing Second Amendment advocates as speechless when the original footage showed the advocates offering meaningful discussion about the issues that Couric raises.
Nonetheless, this episode sounds an awful lot like the time that Gabby Giffords’ husband illegally engaged in a straw-man purchase of firearms. Protip: if you have to break the law to demonstrate that more laws are needed, you’ve completely undermined your own argument.
