Arizona lawmaker points loaded gun at reporter's chest

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.

"Oh, it's so cute," Klein said of the .380 Ruger that she carries in purse at all times.

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.

Just two days after a gunman in Tucson killed six and wounded 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), Klein surprised security guards by first trying to bring the firearm onto the Senate floor.

"They said, 'You can't go in.' I said, 'Oh, yeah, I can. I have a right to carry,'" Klein recalled.

In March, the freshman state senator found herself in hot water again for reading a letter on the Senate floor that claimed Hispanic students "hate America" and only want to become "gang members and gangsters."