Detective wanted arrest warrant for NBC's David Gregory

The controversy over former NBC anchor David Gregory's display of a high-capacity gun magazine got new legs this week.

An affidavit shows a Washington Metropolitan Police Department detective requested an arrest warrant for Gregory, according to Conservative website Legal Insurrection. In December 2012, the then-host of NBC's Meet the Press broke the district's laws by waving the 30-round ammunition magazine at the network's studio during an interview.

Gregory was asking National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre if banning high-capacity magazines might prevent mass killings. In Washington, D.C., it is illegal to possess even an empty magazine that can hold more than 10 bullets.

However, Washington attorney general Irvin Nathan declined to press charges against Gregory, saying "intent of the temporary possession and short display of the magazine was to promote the First Amendment purpose of informing an ongoing public debate about firearms policy in the United States."

However, Gregory's actions and the decision not to charge him fueled lively debates, with some saying the anchor should have been arrested. Legal Insurrection, aided by Judicial Watch, a conservative non-partisan educational foundation, obtained a copy of the police affidavit after suing to have it released.

According to the affidavit, an NBC editor exchanged several e-mails with authorities who informed the editor that possessing the magazine would violate the law and be a misdemeanor. Police recommended using a photo instead of the magazine during the interview.

Gregory later displayed the magazine. In response, police investigated the incident. And, Wayne Gerrish, a Washington Metropolitan Police Department detective, requested an arrest warrant for Gregory. It was declined in January 2013.