In other news from Arizona, a team of undercover investigators sent by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg visited a gun show in Phoenix to demonstrate how easily a weapon similar to the one used in the Tuscon shooting could be purchased. With hidden cameras, the investigators first purchased a Glock-17 handgun, then an extended 33-round magazine like the one suspected shooter Jared Loughner used in his attack. Undercover video also revealed how investigators were able to buy guns without a background check.

Investigator: “I’m looking for something like this, you know, nine-mil with stopping power and, you know, something that’s concealable. You know what I mean?”

Salesman: “Next to this one, that’s probably the newest one I’ve got. This one has never been shot.”

Investigator: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s brand new?”

Salesman: “Yeah.”

Investigator: “It’s all tied up.”

Salesman: “The good thing is, if you don’t like it, you can just sell it later, and it’s not in your name. But when you buy a new one, you have to worry about where it’s going to end up.”

Investigator: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you’re not one of those, you know, dealer guys, right?”

Salesman: “No. No tax. No form. You don’t have to do transfers or nothing. Just need to see an Arizona ID, and that’s it with me.”

Investigator: “Yeah, so no background check?”

*Salesman: “No.”

Investigator: “That’s good, ’cause I probably couldn’t pass one, you know what I mean?”

Under federal law the sales of the Glock-17 and the extended magazine were legal because of the so-called “gun show loophole,” which allows gun sellers to trade weapons without a background check. Such sales constitute 40 percent of all gun sales in the U.S.