PROSECUTORIAL DISCRETION

NBC Not Charged for Magazine Display

Though decision was “very close.”

Lesson learned? NBC will not be charged for David Gregory’s display of a high-capacity magazine on Meet the Press, the D.C. attorney general’s office confirmed Friday, citing “prosecutorial discretion” in its decision. Despite blatantly breaking the law, the network was spared charges because Meet the Press displayed the magazine in order to inform in the “ongoing public debate about firearms policy” in the U.S., and because the magazine was promptly returned to the police after the show was produced. The decision not to press charges was nonetheless “very close,” and the attorney general’s office said any other similar occurrence will be “prosecuted to the full extent.”