Posted on 02/23/2004 4:09:39 PM PST by TERMINATTOR
HAMISH ROBERTSON: Well staying in the United States, Anti-gun campaigners are concerned about a worrying trend in which charity groups and fundraisers are using guns as prizes in raffles.
A volunteer fire brigade has set a new benchmark with its raffle, giving away a gun every day for the entire year.
It says it needs the cash to continue operating, but many are wondering whether America, a nation already saturated with guns, needs anymore.
Lisa Millar compiled this report.
(sound of cars passing by)
LISA MILLAR: A few hours drive west of Washington DC lies Emmitsburg, Maryland, which gets its share of tourists. A small country town, it's part of America's civil war history, Gettysburg is just a few kilometres away.
But it's attracting national attention now because of the way in which the local fire brigade is raising money.
It's holding a gun raffle, not just any gun raffle, but one that gives away a weapon for every day of the year.
One of the brigade's volunteers, Chris Stahley, admits some people were initially anxious.
CHRIS STAHLEY: You had your mixed feelings. I mean, you had people who were totally for it, they knew the good cause it was going for, they knew they were hunting guns, they're guns that everybody that's buying these calendars already have and then you also had the ones that wondered why a fire department would want to give guns away and make this a more dangerous place than it already is.
LISA MILLAR: The brigade sells a 2004 calendar for $30. Each day's prize is clearly marked.
CHRIS STAHLEY: That's another good hunting gun. Of course, as I said, they're all hunting guns that we give away. There's some normal, regular guns and then there's also some collectors items like the Dale Earnhardt 12-gauge shotgun, that's more than likely will not be used for hunting, if somebody wins it they’ll probably keep it as a collector's item because of the name.
LISA MILLAR: John Hollinger shows me one of the prizes, assembling it fresh from the box.
(sound of a rifle being assembled)
It's a Winchester rifle due to be given away in a few days.
He's volunteered for this brigade for 58 years and he can't understand the fuss about the raffle.
JOHN HOLLINGER: It's not really unusual I don't really think in this part of the country. There's a lot of organisations, sportsman's clubs and fire departments, they hold these types of raffles.
LISA MILLAR: Chris Stahley is adamant the guns are for hunting and nothing else.
CHRIS STAHLEY: They're not out to put weapons in bad people's hands, I mean everybody’s got to… they just can't just win a gun and get it, they need to go through a background check.
(sound of siren)
LISA MILLAR: This small town fire brigade says the raffle is the difference between being able to help people or not.
CHRIS STAHLEY: It's the only way we succeed. We have to do these fundraisers to get the equipment that you see here in this fire department. Without that we'd be a little bit of nothing.
LISA MILLAR: But anti-gun campaigner Leah Barrett says the popularity of gun raffles is frightening. Even more frightening, that they’re so common many Americans no longer raise an eyebrow.
LEAH BARRETT: I think that Americans are adequately armed. A UN survey on small arms released over the summer showed that Americans are the most heavily armed civilian population in the world. We have between 86 and 92 guns per 100 people, approaching one gun per person, and the next most heavily armed country is Yemen, they have 40 weapons per 100 hundred people.
So I think raffling guns in a culture that’s already totally saturated with guns, hand guns, assault weapons, rifles, is irresponsible, publicly irresponsible. It's a public health menace and does nothing to alleviate the horrible gun carnage that we have here every year.
LISA MILLAR: But the Emmitsburg Fire Brigade rejects any suggestion it's contributing to America's gun culture. It's going to make $60,000 from this raffle, and it's been such a success, they're already working on next year's calendar.
This is Lisa Millar in Emmitsburg, Maryland, for Correspondents Report.
She's scared that Americans have guns, but she's REALLY scared that we're going to KEEP them; she isn't going to be able to start a successful political movement to convince "reasonable" Americans to turn on their gun-owning neighbors.
... but Fire_Eye is wondering whether his gunsafe, a storage cabinet already saturated with guns, can hold any more... (not that that ever stopped me before, mind you)
Looks like "MS" Barrett is director of Maryland Commie Mommies: Click here for her phone number and email address.
OOPS.... !!! Looks like she's also gotten her furry little posterior in a *big* peck of trouble for *PLAGIARISM*... Click here for the *sordid* details...
Not exactly a paragon of virtue are we now, MS. Barrett?
I could google further, but... So many vile leftist scum... So little time...
SHOTGUN MOSSBERG 835 12ga $1.00 each Drawing March 13th
This is the one I've got several raffle tickets for. The proceeds go to our local fire dept. Don't mess with our gun raffles. We enjoy them.
I've also got several tickets for a steer to be given away March 5th.
Only 84 Million ??? There is probably that many guns in Texas alone. ;-)
Aren't they? I buy a ticket for every one that comes up. I just bough 4 tickets the other day at a Sports Expo.
Best of all are the 'bashes' that raffle off a gun every 10 or 15 minutes with side raffles in between. Even when I don't win, I know the money is going for a good cause.
So far I've won twice.
Saturation is saturation, what's another drop of water in the lake? I'd rather win a firearm in a raffle than buy one in a store anytime! Unfortunately, I'm nearing the point where I would have been better off buying one of my choice in a store. LOL!
Got any raffle tickets to sell? Yes, I am series....contact me by freepmail if you do.
What is even more disturbing is the fact that I probably have more than my fair share! (come to think of it, you just said the same thing but in different words) Come on people, time to pull your own weight......Buy!
All four verses of the National Anthem?
(I'm o.k., but are you o.k.?) ;-)
And yeah, I love gun raffles. My husband got a gorgeous little Remington shotgun at one. I don't ever win stuff, but I got my mom's old dove gun (Rem 1148 in 28 ga.)
Well, dang, somebody isn't pulling their weight out there. My husband, my father and I are pushing 86 guns all by ourselves.
Sounds like you either got the wrong wife, or the right one too soon. You should have done your shopping before you tied the knot. LOL
I'd love to win a Winchester rifle in a raffle.
Think they're raffling off a Winchester 30-30 model 94? Nice piece that.
Great minds travel the same channels . . . and apparently haul a lot of hardware with them while travelling . . . :-D
There is no such thing as "too many guns". You can always specialize a little more . . . or start collecting a particular type or marque . . . or take up a new shooting sport . . . whatever. :-D
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.