Doctor: Carrying rifle was political

A Tempe man who carried his AR-15 into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport says he has made his political point and won't do it again.

Dr. Peter Steinmetz, a director at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, addressed the media on Monday for the first time since the July 25 incident. Steinmetz sparked national debate after toting his weapon while purporting to be on a coffee run at the airport.

That act itself is not illegal, but Steinmetz was arrested on suspicion of two counts of disorderly conduct after the gun's muzzle reportedly faced toward and frightened a woman and her daughter, according to Phoenix police.

Steinmetz spoke with reporters at his attorney Marc Victor's office in Chandler.

Confirming public speculation, Steinmetz told reporters his actions were entirely political in nature and that he wanted to help educate the public by allowing them to observe a peaceful person doing normal things while responsibly carrying an AR-15.

Steinmetz said he considers himself a "freedom activist, a man of peace and a responsible American citizen" who has always respected and complied with the rule of law.

His demonstration, he said, was stationed at the airport to underline the stark contrast between society's liberties and the point where they erode.

"On one side of a line of the floor, in the shopping area, we are relatively free, and can safely keep and bear arms," he said. "On the other side of that line we have the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), a large federal bureaucracy which completely disarms people and subjects them to gross invasions of privacy simply because those people want to travel somewhere."

Steinmetz said he is a responsible gun owner and took care not to endanger or point the gun at anyone.

In closing, Steinmetz said he did not plan to repeat his demonstration, as he felt he made his point.

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, site of Barrow Neurological Institute, issued a statement last week that said Steinmetz was placed on administrative leave "following his arrest at Sky Harbor Airport and after careful analysis and review."

Steinmetz, 54, is director of the neuroengineering program at the Barrow Neurological Institute, according to Barrow's website.

On Monday, Steinmetz did not accept questions from the media and allowed his attorney to field all inquiries.

Victor defended his client's actions and deflected comments from reporters who questioned the wisdom in bringing an assault rifle to an airport in a post-9/11 world.

"I'd suspect that if there were 300 Dr. Steinmetzes in the airport that day, we'd be pretty clear that there wouldn't have been any bad guys with guns," Victor said.

It was Steinmetz's second attempt at making such a statement. Steinmetz took his rifle into Sky Harbor on Nov. 13, when he and his minor son, who was armed with a handgun, went to pick up Steinmetz's wife. He was not booked into jail and told police that he was protesting the TSA.

Although he was arrested, Steinmetz has not yet been charged with a crime, Victor pointed out. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said he's sent the case back for further investigation.

Victor then turned the stage over to Alan Korwin, a pro-gun activist and author of "The Arizona Gun Owner's Guide."

Korwin used the opportunity as a platform to promote his book and advocate for gun education for Arizona youths.

"You have a man exercising his civil rights, and it scares people," he said. "Why don't the schools teach gun safety and marksmanship already? We have adults running around who don't understand the subject."

When reached after the press conference, Arizonans for Gun Safety founder Gerry Hills said Steinmetz was being deliberately provocative. The demonstration, she said, aligned with the open-carry movement, in which some advocates display their firearms in public places.

The movement elicited a negative response from some gun-rights advocates and prompted several chain restaurants to ban firearms altogether.

"Attempts like these, whether they're at the airport, Target, Home Depot ... backfire terribly," Hills said.

Hills said she feels actions like these are radical attempts to deprogram or desensitize society.