It’s been a three-year legal battle of PC city officials vs. TrainMeAZ.com over their “Guns Save Lives” ad. City officials told Alan Korwin that his “message was political and violated the city’s policy against non-commercial advertising on buses and transit stops. Opponents of the ad’s removal say the case, which attorneys will argue in the Arizona Court of Appeals starting Tuesday, could have broad implications for free-speech rights in Arizona and stop the city from arbitrarily censoring public-transit ads.”

Ironically, “Phoenix recently allowed Korwin to post an alternative ad, which reads “Guns Stop Crime” set against the backdrop of a blue heart, on city bus stops.

But Korwin and his attorneys say the city’s decision to allow one pro-gun ad while rejecting a similar ad shows the haphazard nature of its “censoring” process.”

Weird, isn’t it? They allow one pro-gun ad but reject the other? Sorry, unless an ad is obscene, you’re not supposed to reject it, not in property owned by the city.

“They said the city removed the original pro-gun ads because its smaller print voiced support for the state’s gun laws and didn’t appear to clearly promote a product or service.”

Unbelievable! So supporting the state’s gun laws is now politically incorrect? What a bunch of morons.

“The city would have allowed Korwin to post an ad with the text “Guns Save Lives” if the ad emphasized the training website, officials said. In court filings, the city calls the ads “political rhetoric in the sheep’s clothing of an ostensible commercial advertisement.”So what? Even political rhetoric is protected free speech!

“The city should not be forced into an all-or-nothing approach — allow no advertising or allow all advertising,” Phoenix attorneys wrote. The policy is intended “to maximize revenue and avoid intricate issues of fair balance and equal time by avoiding the appearance that the city is favoring or disfavoring any particular candidate, political view, or side in a debate over contentious issues of the day….

The initial gun ad also included, in large lettering, the words “Arizona Says: Educate Your Kids” and the site “TrainMeAZ.com.”

Tempest in a teapot, for crying out loud.

“Attorneys for the Goldwater Institute have also targeted the city’s policy for reviewing bus-stop ads for being “vague,” suggesting it’s arbitrary and allows for censorship. They pointed to several examples of bus-stop ads the city has permitted, including one that featured the words “Jesus Heals” and bandages in the shape of a cross.”So they like Jesus? Perhaps TrainMeAZ should feature Jesus with Luke 22:36.

“He said the city allowed the “Jesus Heals” because it included the call letters of a Christian radio station, serving a general commercial purpose.

Plus, Schwartz said the Christian radio ad didn’t include text espousing the virtues of religion.

On the other hand, he said, Korwin’s ad included smaller print emphasizing his political views on gun laws and didn’t use the statement “Guns Save Lives” to just promote his website.

Korwin said he thinks the city singled out his ad for removal because some city officials are apparently liberal-leaning or don’t support gun rights.

He said the headline of the ad was intended to grab attention so it would better market his website.

“The city should not be in the business of deciding what you can say,” Korwin said. “It’s three years now that our free speech has been censored.”