(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm David Greene.
ArmaLite is a weapons manufacturer in Illinois and they're facing an unlikely opponent. His name is Dario Franceschini, he's Italy's culture minister and he's upset about an image from ArmLite's "Work of Art" ad campaign. It shows Michelangelo's David cradling an assault rifle. Franceschini says the ad "offends and infringes on the law."
He probably also won't like the image of a rifle hanging between "American Gothic" and the "Mona Lisa." The barrel points towards that famous smile.
You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.