The man who drew international attention by bringing an assault rifle to President Barack Obama's rally on Monday is a Phoenix resident with ties to several anti-government or Nativist groups.

The man, who until now has been identified only as "Chris B," is actually 28-year-old Christopher Broughton, a former employee of a Tempe plastic-mold manufacturer.

Broughton said he wasn't seeking any personal celebrity by arming himself and strolling through crowds of Obama supporters.

"I want attention brought to the ideas that I espouse," Broughton told The Arizona Republic, which confirmed his identity through relatives and former co-workers on Friday. "I don't think the political process works anymore. It is done. . . . This government is the most corrupt Mafioso on the face of the Earth."

Broughton, who reluctantly acknowledged that he was the gun-toting Chris B., shares membership in the same right-wing group as William Kostric, the man who brought a handgun to an Obama rally in New Hampshire last week.

Broughton and Kostric are both listed as "team members" of the Arizona chapter of We the People Foundation, which calls for "resistance . . . against unconstitutional or illegal behavior by government officials."

In New Hampshire, Kostric stood outside the Obama town-hall meeting with a gun strapped to his thigh, holding a sign proclaiming, "It is time to water the tree of liberty," a reference to Thomas Jefferson's famous call for vigilance: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of tyrants and patriots."

Broughton said the two armed protests were not connected. Broughton said the rifle he brought to the Phoenix rally, a loaded AR-15, is a symbol of resistance, the modern-day equivalent of a pitchfork that citizens once took up in opposition to oppressive political leaders.

"It's as simple as this. The people who support government, the ones who like government, they are using government like a weapon," he said. "The government continues to take over more and more things."

Property records show that Broughton was born in Ohio and lived in Cleveland before moving to Phoenix in 2004.

In March, Broughton bought a home in southeast Phoenix near 44th Street and Southern Avenue. Court records show that he was divorced in 2007.

Although he is African-American, Broughton said race is not a factor in his beliefs. He said during the rally several people told him that he should be supporting Obama because he is Black. He called the idea preposterous. "I am an American. The color of my skin shouldn't even matter."

He said he belongs to several groups that have anti-government leanings. While critics warn many of those groups involve individuals tied to White supremacist activities, he said he has never felt unwelcome.

Broughton's appearance at the rally was part of a publicity stunt organized by Ernest Hancock, a well-known Arizona Libertarian and host of conservative talk radio show "Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock." Hancock also came to the rally armed. The two, who worked together on the presidential campaign of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, engaged in a staged interview that was later broadcast on YouTube.

In several media interviews following the rally, including CNN, Broughton refused to identify himself by last name.

"I don't want to be Joe the Plumber," he said. "I don't want to be famous."