€”An Arizona appeals court says Phoenix violated a gun-rights activist's constitutional protections when it removed his bus-stop ads saying "guns save lives."

The three-judge panel said in its ruling Thursday that the city unconstitutionally applied its transit advertising standards.

The court's opinion overturns a Maricopa County Superior Court ruling siding with Phoenix.

Lawyers for Alan Korwin, who sought to advertise his gun safety training website in 2010, argued that the city's standards were too vague and could be arbitrarily enforced.

The city says Korwin was promoting political speech that would have created controversy and affected transit revenue.

The court says the city's standards only indicate advertising must adequately show a proposed commercial transaction.