School board member apologizes for comment

 A member of the Coeur d’Alene school board is apologizing for a comment perceived by many to be racist that he made about President Barack Obama during a legislative forum.

Brent Regan made the comment Saturday during a discussion about federal gun control measures.

During the forum, Regan said that no clear definition of assault rifles exists, and then shared part of a conversation he’d had with his wife: “I said, `They can’t figure out what an assault weapon is — it’s just black and it looks scary.’ And she looks at me and says, `Well, so is Obama.”‘

Regan said Monday it never occurred to him that his words could be perceived as racist, and said he would apologize to other board members and school district administrators.