Police in Washington, D.C., are investigating the host of NBC's "Meet the Press" after he brought what he described as a high-capacity ammunition magazine — illegal under D.C. code — onto his show while interviewing NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre.

During the segment, The Washington Post reported, Gregory held up the object to suggest alternative measures the NRA might consider wavering on when it comes to gun control and preventing mass violence.

LaPierre has come under fire in recent days for defending gun rights and suggesting more guns in the hands of teachers in the wake of a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-eight people died in the incident earlier this month, including 20 first-graders.

Gregory was asking whether high-capacity magazines should be banned, and held up an apparent example. But according to D.C. firearm regulations, "No person in the District shall possess, sell, or transfer any large capacity ammunition feeding device," regardless of whether it's attached to an actual firearm.

A police spokeswoman confirmed the investigation. See below for some early feedback from social media users.

Read the full story here, and more of Neon Tommy's gun control coverage here. 

Reach Executive Producer Catherine Green here. Follow her here.

[View the story "Twitter Weighs In: David Gregory's Ammo Snafu" on Storify]