Since when does city hall get involved in micro managing the content of billboard ads?

This is disappointing. If the signs were on the other side of this issue (e.g., inaccurate claims about the number of children who died from accidental gun deaths and the desirability of gun locks), I assume that they would have stayed up. Alan Korwin was apparently the person behind these ads. I would think that there could be successful legal action against the city.

The city of Phoenix took aim this week at an advertising campaign launched by a coalition of local businesses and groups, ordering the signs to be immediately stripped from 50 bus shelters across the city.

So how, you might ask, did the ad offend?

Does it include a picture of some scantily clad bimbo? Well, no.

Is it another piece of political trash? No.

Is the ad libelous? Religious? Profane?

No, no and hell no.

It's a sign that says "Guns Save Lives" and advertises a website where you can find firearms-safety classes.

Oh, the horror.

The 4x6 signs were put up as part of a campaign by TrainMeAZ, a group of firearms businesses and Second Amendment supporters that joined forces to promote training in the wake of a new state law that allows anyone 21 or older to carry a concealed weapon. Previously, you had to complete a gun-safety class if you wanted to pack heat in private places. Now, you don't.

Enter TrainMeAZ, which has started a website, TrainMeAZ.com, promoting gun-safety classes and offering information on where to enroll. They have this idea that you ought to know how to safely handle a gun if you're going to tote one about in your undies - or even if you aren't. And so they paid $11,000 for the bus-shelter ads, which went up this month.

And came down this week, on orders from City Hall. . . .

If you read the rest of the article you will see that the city claims that it consistently bans public service ads. But even if that is true, given Korwin's business is to sell books about guns, laws, and safety, I would think that he would still meet what the city claims has to be met for it local ordinance.

Thanks to David Moore Jr. for sending me this link.