Gun Raffle Fundraiser For Rhode Island GOP Slammed By Fellow Republicans
A gun raffle hosted by Republicans in Rhode Island to raise money is drawing criticism from several groups. While it may not be a surprise that state Democrats have slammed the raffle, several top Republicans from Rhode Island say they’re also against the fundraiser.
As The Republic reports, for a $5 ticket a Rhode Island resident gets a chance to win an AR-15 semiautomatic assault-style rifle. Some might remember this weapon as the one used in last year’s massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.
Mark Smiley, State Republican Chairman, told critics that raffle winners must pass legally-required background checks. This will happen after the winner takes his or her gift certificate to a the local gun shop which donated the AR-15. As with any other gun buyer they’ll have to wait the standard week for state and federal background checks, Smiley says.
As Providence Journal reports, Chairman Smiley’s reasoning hasn’t satisfied all critics. Fellow Rhode Island Republicans, including candidate for governor, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, find the gun raffle inappropriate and insensitive. Fung says that even though he is a Second Amendment supporter, his past as a criminal prosecutor gives him “strong reservations” against using a semiautomatic weapon to raise money.
Mayor of Province, Democrat Angel Taveras, agrees with Fung. A spokesperson for Taveras says raffling off a semiautomatic weapon is “outrageous.” She doesn’t want to see more weapons like this one on the street, Taveras’ spokesperson says.
Other Rhode Island politicians have spoken out against the fundraiser. One of the most scathing criticisms come from Deputy Senate Minority Leader Dawson Hodgson, a Republican. Hodgson, who is considering running for attorney general, finds the raffle to be “tone deaf and insensitive, at best.” He thinks the raffle only discourages intelligent debate about Second Amendment rights.
What do you think? Is the Rhode Island GOP’s gun raffle fundraiser “insensitive” and “outrageous,” or is this a bold show of support for Second Amendment rights? Sound off in the comments below and tell us what you think!
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