Bay Area radio host Michael Savage is licensed to carry a pistol and does so, The New York Times reports in today’s edition. The Times said it was allowed to sit in on his broadcasts if it agreed to not “reveal the location of the waterside house where he was broadcasting that day, or of two other homes where he has studios and which he treats as virtual safe houses” due to death threats Savage said he has received over the years. The topic of the story was Savage’s lawsuit against the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.

The Times’ Jacques Steinberg writes:

“With his suit, Mr. Savage has put himself in an odd position for someone who makes his living talking and is a fierce advocate for free speech: He is complaining about others quoting him.”

Savage contends that the council violated the copyright protections on his broadcast by using his words, in effect, to raise money. “If they are trying to hang me by my own petard, they have no right to use my petard,” Savage told the Times. “It’s my petard, not theirs.” He claims he has lost millions of dollars in advertising revenue because CAIR is asking advertisers to pull their spots from his show. CAIR claims the suit is a publicity stunt. (Photo credit: Jim Wilson, The New York Times)