Arizona Gun Shop Cancels Former Astronaut's Assault Rifle Purchase

Mark Kelly, a former astronaut wanted to purchase assault rifle to prove how easy it was to buy a weapon.

By H. Nelson Goodson

March 26, 2013

Tucson, AZ - On Monday, Doug MacKinlay, owner of Diamondback Police Supply, Co. posted on the company's Facebook (FB) account page, that he decided to rescind the March 5, purchase made by Mark Kelly, the husband of former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of an assault AR-15 style rifle. Kelly founded an advocacy group called, American for Responsible Solutions. The intend of purchasing the rifle was to show how easy anyone could by one, according to Kelly, who is pushing for stricker gun control laws.

MacKinlay returned the full amount paid for the rifle to Kelly on Thursday. He decided to donate the rifle to the the Arizona Tactical Officers Association to be raffle off and will donate $1,295 to the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program.

Kelly would have had to wait at least 20 days after completing a federal form 4473 and an NICS background check, since the gun shop bought it from a private owner. Tucson has a city ordinance requiring the delay for such purchases, to allow enough time for the city to do a check to determine, if the weapon was used in a crime. Kelly intended to turnover the rifle to local police after the purchase.

Mackinlay wrote in his FB page, "While I support and respect Mark Kelly's 2nd Amendment rights to purchase, possess, and use firearms in a safe and responsible manner, his recent statements to the media made it clear that his intent in purchasing the Sig Sauer M400 5.56mm rifle from us was for reasons other then for his personal use. In light of this fact, I determined that it was in my company's best interest to terminate this transaction prior to his returning to my store to complete the Federal Form 4473 and NICS background check required of Mr. Kelly before he could take possession this firearm. A full refund was sent to Mr. Kelly, via express mail, on Thursday of last week.

The Sig Sauer rifle will be donated to the Arizona Tactical Officers Association where it will be raffled off to generate funds the association can use to purchase much needed tactical equipment for the organization's members. The A.T.O.A. represents the SWAT and Special Response officers of the state's law enforcement community who regularly place their lives on the line to protect the residents of this state.

Additionally, Diamondback Police Supply will make a $1,295.00 contribution (the selling price of the M400 rifle) to the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program that teaches children, in pre-K through 3rd grade, four important steps to take if they find a gun. The emphasis of the program is on child safety, something that is important to all of us and at the core of the current debate on gun control," MacKinlay wrote in FB.