This CBS News producer bought an AR-15 to make a point about gun control. She may have broken the law in the process.

A CBS news producer bought a gun for a news segment and may have broken federal law.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

CBS News' Paula Reid purchased an AR-15 for a news segment that aired Thursday on CBS This Morning — and is now being accused of breaking federal law. According to the gun store's general manager, Reid said the rifle was for her own use, but when CBS reported on the story, it revealed she had later given the gun to a third party (a "federally licensed firearms dealer and weapons instructor"), The Washington Free Beacon reports. In other words, Reid allegedly committed a "straw purchase," which is illegal according to federal law.

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"The law is very clear. When you knowingly attempt to purchase a firearm with the intent of giving it to another person, you are trying to bypass the legal pathway to firearms ownership. This, in itself, is a very serious crime. I do not see how any member of the press can get away with potentially committing a felony just to boost their ratings and mislead the general public," SpecDive owner Jerry Rapp told The Washington Free Beacon. A CBS spokesperson has maintained that the purchase was legal.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.