As Raw Story so aptly puts it, "A freshman Arizona state Senator may be in need of some gun safety lessons":
Richard Ruelas, a reporter for The Arizona Republic, found himself staring down the barrel of Republican state Sen. Lori Klein's raspberry-pink firearm during a recent interview at the Capitol.
But surely it wasn't loaded, right? Well...
While the loaded pistol had no safety and the laser pointer was centered on the reporter's chest, Klein explained that there was no need to worry.
"I just didn't have my hand on the trigger," she said.
This is not the first time that Sen. Klein has been in the news for carrying a firearm:
State Sen. Lori Klein did not intend to make a political statement when she carried a loaded weapon into the state Capitol two days after the mass shooting outside Tucson.
But back to the current story:
"Oh, it's so cute," Klein said of the .380 Ruger that she carries in purse at all times.
While it is not my intent to trigger some kind of 2nd Amendment debate here, I'm fairly certain that it is not considered "cute" in any part of the gun debate spectrum to point a loaded weapon at someone, safety or no safety (and in this case there was no safety).
I'm pretty sure she has forfeited her concealed carry permit at the very least. And she is probably guilty of reckless endangerment as well.
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Thanks to Azazello in comments, here's more from Huffpo:
Rob Mermelstein, the range master of the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club, told the Arizona Guardian, that Klein's actions were "unconscionable."
"Whoever would do something like that needs to have a better grounding in gun safety before ever laying a hand on a firearm," he said.