Gun shop to raffle an assault rifle off… to benefit the victims of Orlando Pulse shooting
Unexpectedly, a gun shop has announced plans to raffle off a gun to benefit the victims of the Orlando Pulse mass shooting.
In the bizarre gesture, the Second Amendment Sports gun shop in McHenry have said they did not intend to cause a stir with the odd raffle prize.
The raffle, to benefit the families and victims of those killed and injured in Orlando in June, includes a prize of an AR-15 rifle, the same as used by the shooter in the mass hate attack.
Of course the raffle and its prize has caused some upset, with one woman in McHenry county describing it as “offensive”.
The same woman lost her son in the 2012 cinema massacre in Colorado – the same type of assault rifle was also used in that shooting.
But Second Amendment Sports owner Bert Irslinger Jr told the Chicago Tribune that all the store wanted to do was help raise funds for Orlando by selling one of their best selling products.
“We wanted to do something for the loss of lives and injuries that happened to people in Orlando,” said Irslinger.
“I understand that there are different opinions out there,” Vic Santi, store marketing director adds.
“We don’t look at this as a gun issue. We look at this as a terrorism issue.”
The money raised by the raffle will go to the OneOrlando Fund, run by Strengthen Orlando Inc.
Whoever wins will have to wait 24 hours to get the gun, as well as filling in a federal form and receiving a firearm owner’s ID card.
49 people died and 53 were injured in the horrific massacre earlier this month, when a gunman opened fire inside Pulse nightclub.
Pop superstar Justin Bieber was criticised this week for appropriating a hashtag started in solidarity with the victims of the Orlando Pulse shooting, in order to promote his tour.
