Meet The Press host David Gregory is being investigated by DC police after he displayed a magazine for 30 bullets on Sunday's show. Possession of that is illegal in DC.  

I'm not sure why he or the producers felt like they needed to show it either. He was talking to the head of the NRA and said this has been banned in DC, and asked if the NRA would support a national ban on them. Were producers afraid their audience wouldn't understand the question if they didn't have the visual? If they have someone on from Colorado will David hold up a dime bag of weed and anounce "this is illegal for me to hold here in DC but legal in your state"?

NBC says they got clearance in advance to show the illegal magazine. They tell TMZ that permission was granted from the Department of Alcohol Tobbacco and Firearms. However DC police say they too were contacted by Meet The Press; 

"NBC contacted the Metropolitan Police Dept. inquiring if they could utilize a high capacity magazine for this segment. NBC was informed that possession of a high capacity magazine is not permissible and the request was denied."

Obviously NBC went to the DC police first since their show is recorded in DC and when they got the big N-O, they tried to get the Feds to allow it. It's like when Mom says no, so you go ask Dad. The ATF needs to learn the magic words, go ask your mother when it comes to local questions. As for David Gregory he could be facing something more severe than a mom's butt slap. If found guilty (and I'm pretty sure that picture I took of him on my TV screen holding it is all the evidence required to prove he's guilty of possession) he faces $1000 fine, and here's the grounding, up to a year in jail! He's probably very nervous about that and what producers have planned for their upcoming show on child porn.