Pima County GOP added 2nd gun to fundraiser raffle
Web Producer: Marissa Pasquet
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV/ AP) - The Republican Party in Pima County-where a deadly Arizona shooting rampage took place-drew criticism for raffling off a handgun, for a "get-out-the-vote" fundraiser.
Officials with the Pima County Republican Party are reporting to have sold all 125 of the $10 tickets available for the Glock 23. It comes with three 12-round magazines, an adjustable grip and a case.
Interim party chairman Mike Shaw told a local Tucson newspaper the publicity fueled such demand, that the GOP also raffled a deer rifle.
The raffle for the .40-caliber Glock garnered worldwide attention because it was organized eight months after a Tucson shooting spree that left six people dead and 13 others wounded, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
The model of Glock isn't the same as the one the suspected shooter used in the Jan. 8 rampage. That gun was a Glock 19 9mm.
Shaw said the Glock was an unclaimed prize from last year. He also noted that past gun raffles have been effective fundraisers and that responsible gun ownership is a constitutional right.
Some Tucson-area Republicans have publicly distanced themselves from the raffle.
City Councilman Steve Kozachik characterized it as "incredibly stupid," especially when the party is gearing up for the city's general election.
But Shaw said he was told Democrats and independents bought tickets, estimating 10 percent of the buyers were Democrats
The county GOP announced the Glock raffle in its Aug. 26 online newsletter. No date for the raffle was immediately available Saturday and party officials didn't immediately return calls seeking details.
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