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Gabrielle Giffords' husband buys AR-15

TUCSON, March 13 (UPI) -- Mark Kelly, husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, R-Ariz., says he bought a military-style assault weapon in Tucson to show how easy it is.

Kelly said he plans to surrender the AR-15 to Tucson police, KTVK-TV, Phoenix, reported.

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"It's important for me to have first-hand knowledge about how easy it is or difficult it is to buy a weapon like that," Kelly said. "For a weapon that's so deadly, and really designed for the military especially with the high capacity magazines, it's a pretty easy thing to do, even with a background check."

Giffords suffered a traumatic head injury Jan. 8, 2011, when Jared Loughner, a community college student, opened fire at a meet-and-greet outside a Tucson supermarket. She and her husband, a Navy officer and NASA shuttle commander, have founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, a group that pushes for expanded background checks for gun buyers.

Kelly said he bought a handgun he intends to keep from the store and then decided to purchase an AR-15.

Douglas MacKinlay, the store owner, told KTAR, Phoenix, he checked that Kelly was an Arizona resident when he produced only a Texas license, making him return with additional proof of residency. MacKinlay said he recognized Kelly.

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"We were certainly wondering what his intent was," MacKinlay said. "But it is not for us to question a customer, other than to question that they are a lawful purchaser and that they don't have any criminal intent to use that firearm."

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