Why Gabby Giffords' husband tried — and failed — to buy a gun

A seemingly simple transaction at a gun store in Tucson, Ariz. has turned into a major talking point in the national gun control debate.

Mark Kelly — a retired astronaut and husband to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was nearly killed in a mass shooting two years ago — was denied the purchase of a semiautomatic rifle. Kelly had planned to buy it and then turn it over to the Tucson police — a demonstration of how easy it is to buy assault weapons, according to Politico. The purchase was canceled about halfway through a mandatory 20-day waiting period.

Here's how Doug MacKinlay, owner of Diamondback Police Supply, framed the scuttled purchase, via his Facebook page:

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Kelly certainly made no secret of his intentions. "It is actually pretty easy," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer about purchasing the rifle. "You know, for a weapon that's so deadly and really designed for the military, especially with the high-capacity magazines, it is a pretty easy thing to do, even with a background check."

In an op-ed at Politico last month, Kelly pushed for stronger background checks, claiming that the "NRA leadership has decided to dig in and — against all evidence and common sense — preserve a system that makes it easier for criminals to get guns."

Diamondback Police Supply's Facebook page is filled with posts supporting (and a few criticizing) MacKinlay's decision:

And while Kelly might not get his gun, he will, at least, be getting a refund.