CBS News reporter Paula Reid says she broke no laws when she purchased an assault rifle for a story on the ease with which people can acquire such weapons. The story, which aired on CBS This Morning, focused on gun laws in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Orlando, in which the gunman used a similar weapon.
“Sale, purchase, & transfer all legal,” Reid said on Twitter. “ID’d myself as a @CBSNews reporter 2x during sale (was recorded) & transfer.”
Reid’s explanation follows questions about the purchase raised by the gun shop owner after the story aired. CBS News, however, tells TVNewser “(the) story was reported lawfully and in accordance with CBS News standards.”
The owner of the gun shop where Reid purchased the weapon told a Washington area newspaper believed the sale may have been illegal, and reported the purchase to the ATF. According to a story in The Washington Free Beacon:
“Ms. Paula Reid came into the shop with cash, claiming she wished to purchase an AR-15 to, ‘undergo training,’” Ryan Lamke, SpecDive’s general manager, told the Washington Free Beacon. “She refused basic, free instruction of firearms safety under the pretense that she was using the firearm for training with a NRA certified instructor.”
“Due to the information provided in the CBS News report filed today, I suspect Ms. Reid committed a straw purchase and procurement of a firearm under false pretenses.”
SpecDive owner Jerry Rapp said that Reid misleading the store about her intention to give the gun over to a third party was a clear violation of the law.
The ATF, however, said there has been no finding of any violation and a spokesperson notes the bureau does not typically comment on–or confirm–active investigations.