In our last post on former astronaut, professional husband (of a spree killer’s survivor) and gun control advocate Mark Kelly, we repeated an assertion that Mr. Kelly didn’t take immediate possession of an AR-15 purchase because he’d asked for gun mods (trigger job, flash suppressor). Since then, the store in question, Diamondback Police Supply Co. of Tucson, Arizona released a statement about the reason for the “delay” . . .

On March 5, 2013 Mr. Mark Kelly purchased a Sig Sauer 45 caliber pistol and a Sig Sauer M400 5.56 AR style rifle from my company, Diamondback Police Supply Co. in Tucson, AZ. The rifle, having been purchased in trade from another customer, cannot be released to Mr. Kelly or any other customer for a minimum of 20 days in accordance with local ordinances. Mr. Kelly did not ask for any modifications to the rifle, nor are we making any. Once the hold period is up, Mr. Kelly must then show proper identification, complete the Federal Firearms Transfer Record (Form 4473) and successfully complete the NICS background check prior to his taking physical possession of the firearm.

So, if Mr. Kelly bought the gun simply to show how easy it is to buy a gun, as claimed, why did he buy a gun that isn’t easy to buy? He could have purchased a brand new AR-15, filled out form 4473, passed the NICS background check and walked out of the store with an AR-15.

Clearly, Kelly bought an AR-15 because he wanted an AR-15. Presumably he bought a pre-owned gun because . . . wait for it . . . he liked it. Or wanted to save money. Or protect his family. Whatever. But it doesn’t change the fact that his purchase was not intended to make a point. He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Period.

And I repeat my challenge to the media to ask Mr. Kelly a simple question: have you purchased an AR-15 before? ‘Cause if he did there can be no doubt of what we already know to be true.

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42 COMMENTS

  1. Here’s the other problem – if he was only trying to “see” how easy it was to purchase a firearm – this means he didn’t know and had to find out for himself. If he didn’t know – why is he advocating that it’s too easy? So, he’s speaking at all these congressional hearings claiming to be an expert, when really he didn’t even know what he was talking about?

    • Most of the gun control “experts” are selected for their emotional appeal more than anything.

      Funny how we don’t put forth car crash survivors as experts in car safety. They are used for their emotional appeal, but for “expert” testimony most people would balk.

      The biggest problem with the gun control crowd is their willful ignorance. I do believe they are truly ignorant and continue to be so by choice so they never have to reconcile in their own minds the absurdity of their claims.

      • For the grabbers the outrage is less about the loss of life as it is that people own guns.

        If loss of life was truly the outrage they would, as you stated, be trotting out victims of drunk drivers, the families of kids that drowned in pools and so forth.

        If loss of life was the true outrage they would bring shooting victims and families to address the largest category of shootings – gang on gang violence. All the pomp and circumstance going on for more gun control not only ignores the root problem but allows it to continue to fester.

    • NAILED! All three points. Or however many there were. +100. Exact same line of thought with me, here in the Old Dominion.

    • > if he was only trying to “see” how easy
      > it was to purchase a firearm

      If he was trying to demonstrate how easy it was to purchase an AR-15, he would have purchased another that he could have walked out with that day, not a used one subject to a 20-day waiting period.

      The rifle, having been purchased in trade from another customer, cannot be released to Mr. Kelly or any other customer for a minimum of 20 days in accordance with local ordinances.

  2. Maybe he is a fifth column for our side? Trying to show the byzantine process that an upstanding citizen (astronaut even) has to go through to purchase a simple rifle.

  3. One good thing about universal registration is as soon as the database gets hacked we’ll know who all the two-faced d’bags are…if they follow the rules.

    About that 20 day wait between the FFL’s purchase of the gun then ability to sell it again. If all sales were required to go through the FFL (universal NICS) would that twenty day delay still apply?

    • The rifle, having been purchased in trade from another customer, cannot be released to Mr. Kelly or any other customer for a minimum of 20 days in accordance with local ordinances.

      I cannot speak about Arizona law, but in Colorado, pawn shops cannot sell guns they receive for 30 days, in order for law enforcement to ensure that the firearm has not been reported as stolen. This is according to a pawn shop owner I talked to.

      Note that this 30-day waiting period starts when the pawn shop takes possession of the firearms, not when the customer buys it. If the pawn shop has possessed the firearm for 30 days, a buyer can purchase and walk out of the shop with the rifle on day 31.

      This does not apply to gun stores in Colorado, which can sell used guns the same day they get them. One of my AR-15s that I took into my usual gun shop was sold within 15 minutes.

      • Same in Texas, there’s a small pawn shop down the road that gets a jewel every so often depending if there’s some meth in the area and I’ll simply wait thirty days after putting some cash down and then go pick it up.

      • Under AZ state law, a pawnbroker has to hold a firearm (or anything else with a serial number) for 15 days before they can sell it. Same reason – it’s to allow time for a stolen property check.

        Tucson’s 20 day requirement (like a lot of Tucson laws) are in violation of the state preemption statutes. It is considered very UNPROFESSIONAL for any shop to offer these items for sale until the time period is up. I can’t think of a single shop in the Phoenix area that does so. Occasionally a “good customer” might be told about items that are about to be released, but they can’t actually be sold until the wait is up.

    • Not completely man he’s working the circuit for his future political ambitions and he thinks he’ll get there via the Obama admin.

      But the pendulum is swinging, the Dems are handing the next election to the Republicans on a silver platter.

  5. Obviously, if what he claims as his intent were true, he would have notified staff in advance or posted such online, so he would not be caught like this. Either he is a fool, or a liar (I do not rule out the possibility of both). I will be very curious what he and his wife have as their salaries from their charity when tax reports are issued. It may be more business, than charity. Obviously they have both been through hell due to the awful incident, but that does not obviate the man’s apparently devious behavior.

  6. Who considers a 20 day wait to be “easy”? If a grabber really considers that to be easy I don’t even want to know what they assess as “reasonable”…

  7. I am getting sick and tired of the repeated claims about how “easy” it is to purchase a firearm.

    In Texas we are blessed with a dearth of additional regulations in regards to firearms purchase, we just have to follow the Fed. However, that still means filling out a 4473 EVERYTIME and then waiting on the background check. Technology is great in that the background check can be done quickly, and this is not a bad thing. I could fail or pass a test in college in the same amount of time. People who think a background check that happens in a matter of minutes is a bad thing do not understand how modern technology works.

    The problem is the process is less friendly if you have a common name, especially if other people with a similar name have a criminal background. A likely occurrence if you are “blessed” with a common name. So when I hear claims like the recent one about buying a gun is easier than buying a pack of bubblegum I wonder how anyone could take that at face value and not as the utter and blatant hyperbole that it is.

  8. I’m just waiting for the ATF to arrest and charge him for straw buying.
    Any day now. You’ll see. Really.

    • If I’m understanding what I read, according to this he hasn’t filled out his transfer & background check form, so he hasn’t committed any crime (but maybe PreCrime Division will get him).

    • This isn’t a straw purchase. It is legal to purchase a gun with the intent to turn it over to police. It is legal to purchase a gun to give as a gift to somebody else, as long as that person can legally own one. Form 4473’s instructions specifically state that you can buy a gun to give somebody as a gift.

      See page 4 of the PDF, instructions for question 11.a (second sentence): http://www.atf.gov/forms/download/atf-f-4473-1.pdf

  9. He was a Naval Officer. He either has forgotten or has ignored his oath because of his personal experiences. Therefore, his lying about why he bought an AR-15 is not surprising.

    • This is the sort of duche that gives squids a bad name. Kelly should hang his head in shame.

  10. Liar, hypocrite and “professional husband” (love that one) sum this toad up perfectly. In a sane society, he would be laughed off the public stage.

  11. “cannot be released to Mr. Kelly or any other customer for a minimum of 20 days in accordance with local ordinances. … Once the hold period is up, Mr. Kelly must then show proper identification, complete the Federal Firearms Transfer Record (Form 4473) and successfully complete the NICS background check prior to his taking physical possession”

    Yes, it’s sooooo easy to buy an AR-15. I guess this 21+ day process involving multiple visits, identification, background check, fees, paperwork, etc is just way too lax.

  12. If the NRA had any courage and creativity

    [ pause for laughter to die down ]

    they would produce and air television ads stating the Mark Kelly is a liar. And I don’t mean imply that he’s a liar. I mean state it in no uncertain terms. “Mark Kelly is a liar”.

    And then wait and see if Mark Kelly sues them for libel. If he does, then the NRA can

    (1) engage in the process of discovery
    (2) question him under oath

    Is there a risk? Of course. But for a group that claims to be “fighting for freedom”, it would be nice to see them, you know, “fight” for a change.

    But given the utter incompetence and gross negligence of the NRA in how they squandered the PR opportunity presented by David Gregory and Irvin Nathan, perhaps us NRA members should be suing the NRA instead.

    • > produce and air television ads stating the Mark Kelly is a liar.

      And have Colin Noir — not Wayne La Pierre, not Ted Nugent, but Colin Noir — star in the commercial.

      Here, I’ll even write the first draft for them:

      Mark Kelly, for the past three months, you have worked as a paid(?) stooge for the 10th richest man in America, testifying in favor of banning so-called “assault weapons” like the AR-15 and SIG-Sauer M400.

      On March 5, you purchased a SIG-Sauer M400 from Diamondback Police Supply in Tuscon, Arizona.

      In the 20th century, the liberal media would never have reported this act of hypocrisy. But this is the internet age.

      Mark Kelly, when you were caught, you claimed that you were merely trying to demonstrate how easy it was to purchase a SIG M400, and that you were going to turn your new toy over to the police.

      Sorry, Mark, but that doesn’t pass the smell test. You’re an immature child who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

      If you were doing this as a publicity stunt, why didn’t you announce your intentions and notify the press before you did it?

      Why did you buy a used rifle subject to a 20-day waiting period, rather than another one that you could have taken out of the store that day?

      Do you really expect anyone except Bloomberg’s bootlickers at CNN to believe that you were just trying to demonstrate how easy it is to buy a SIG M400?

      Mark Kelly, you are a hypocrite and a liar. That’s right, you heard me Mark Kelly. You are a liar.

      You want to have semi-automatic rifles for yourself, but deny that right to other people like me. It’s typical gun-owner control hypocrisy.

  13. It should have been easy….for an astronaut! He has had more detailed background checks than Barry.

  14. Mark Kelly purchased an AR-15 because just like the hoards that purchased all the rest of the stock of AR-15s, they wanted and AR-15 in case they were banned.

    Mark Kelly Is Still A Liar, A Hypocrite and a paid stooge for the anti-gun, civilian disarmament and control freak lobby!

  16. It’s so easy to buy one of these. I just walked in, threw down $900, waited 20 days, had a background check done, and the next thing I knew I owned a deadly “assault weapon.” And let me tell you, this Sig one is one of the deadliest. It’s really accurate. I took it out to the range and I was putting quarter-sized groups on the paper at 100 yards with iron sights. The trigger is very smooth, no creep, and it has a crisp reset. I wasn’t a big fan of the stock, but I ordered an ACE skeleton stock to replace it and that should be here around the same time the ACOG gets here, so I’ll let you know how that is when I get it installed. All in all though I’d give this 4 out of 5 stars… uh, for deadliness that is. Very deadly, very bad. Congress should ban private sales.

    • I seriously doubt you are putting quarter sized groupings through a target with any pistol at 100 yards, Sig or other.

      • I seriously doubt he was referring to a pistol. When was the last time you saw a pistol with an ACOG, and ACE skeleton stock installed?

  18. Mark Kelly: The poster boy for a NASA that goes hat-in-hand to the Russians to put a man in space.

  19. mark Kelly is still pissed it took the Navy to long to retire him which prevented him from running for Gabby’s seat. Then her ungrateful Chief of State jumped in and took it away from him. Now he’s out of the navy, no longer an astronaut and desperate for what is apparent a desperate need for attention.

    Opportunistic bastid that he is, he jumps on the “it’s all the fault of guns” platform and demands that guns be taken away from all the little people. But, not him, because he’s part of the special people.

    We are led by morons and lesser morons who want to lead.

  20. I’d be concerned if Kelly was a felon and bought the guns easily. In this case, he showed how it works, nothing more.

  22. He does not enjoy his 2nd A Rights but the power of Life and Death over his Disarmed Victims that excites him

  23. Now wait a minute.

    “The rifle, having been purchased in trade from another customer, cannot be released to Mr. Kelly or any other customer for a minimum of 20 days in accordance with local ordinances.”

    How many admissions of bloviating know-it-all mistaken statements did that trigger? I think there were at least 10 guys including Robert in his post who said it was a lie because AZ has no waiting period.

    • AZ has no waiting period. We have a 15 day hold on pawned items. (Tucson has an illegal 20-day hold)

      Once a pawn shop (used gun dealers count) buys a firearm, they have to hold it 15 days before they can sell it. A pawned item shouldn’t even be on the shelf. Odds are a customer came in and sold the rifle to the shop while Kelly was there, and Kelly offered to buy it. He would have to wait 20 days before the shop could legally transfer it to him, but could buy any other rifle there and take it home 5 minutes later.

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