Names and faces

— District of Columbia police said they are investigating an incident in which NBC News journalist David Gregory displayed what he described as a high-capacity ammunition magazine on Meet the Press. Gun laws in the nation’s capital generally restrict the possession of high-capacity magazines, regardless of whether the device is attached to a firearm. Gregory held up the magazine as a prop for Sunday’s segment, apparently to make a point during an interview, even though D.C. police say NBC had already been advised not to use it in the show. “NBC contacted [the Metropolitan Police Department] inquiring if they could utilize a high capacity magazine for their segment. NBC was informed that possession of a high capacity magazine is not permissible andtheir request was denied. This matter is currently being investigated,” police spokesman Gwendolyn Crump said in a written statement. She declined to comment further. While interviewing National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre for Sunday’s program, Gregory held up an object that he said was a magazine that could hold 30 rounds. “Here is a magazine for ammunition that carries 30 bullets. Now, isn’t it possible that if we got rid of these, if we replaced them and said, ‘Well, you can only have a magazine that carries five bullets or 10 bullets,’ isn’t it just possible that we could reduce the carnage in a situation like Newtown?’” Gregory asked, referring to the Dec. 14 shooting in which a gunman massacred 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary Schoolin Connecticut. LaPierre replied: “I don’t believe that’s going to make one difference. There are so many different ways to evade that even if you had that” ban. It was not clear how or where Gregory obtained the magazine, and an NBC News spokesman declined to comment Wednesday. Meet the Press is generally taped in Washington.

Author Dennis Lehane is offering an unusual reward for the person who finds his family’s beloved missing beagle. Lehane said he’ll name a character in his next book after whoever finds Tessa, who disappeared from the family’s home in Brookline, Mass., this week. He said on his Facebook page thatTessa jumped a fence at the home and was not wearing her tags. The dog has been micro-chipped. Lehane said Tessa is “smart, fast, and immeasurably sweet.” Lehane wrote Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island and other books.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 12/27/2012

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