The Black Rain Gun Raffle causing a stir on social media. (Photo: The Kansas City Star)
Social media users have found their obligatory AR-15 raffle to assault following a national tragedy.
This round’s target is a 9-and-under baseball team in Neosho, Missouri. The coach, Levi Patterson, and his boys are selling $5 tickets for a chance to win a Black Rain Ordinance Spec 15.
The raffle was planned prior to the massacre in Florida. But that hasn’t stopped Facebook users from attacking Patterson’s plan to raise funds.
One person named Dan Weaver wrote, “Are you all tone deaf? AR-15 kills seventeen so you raffle a gun for child sports? Lord, people wake the hell up. Justify all you want but you are wrong, period.”
Patterson responded by writing that “gun raffles have been going on for years. Evil has and will always exist. Our hearts break for those involved, and we do not take that lightly.”
Others called the firearm a “killing machine.” And claimed the players were being forced to sell the tickets.
Patterson denied that his players were being forced to do anything.
“We appreciate your ‘concern’ but please understand, we are not, have not, and will not force one of our boys to sell raffle tickets for the Black Rain AR15 Spec 15, if they are uncomfortable doing so,” he responded.
Patterson also told the Kansas City Star that the harsh criticism may have backfired on the social media warriors hoping to end the raffle. The increased attention seems to have spurred increased participation. People as far away as Colorado have voiced interest in purchasing tickets, and donations are “pouring in.”
SEE ALSO: Anti-Gun Priest Spends 3K on AR-15, Turns It Into a Pickaxe
One of Patterson’s critics went beyond leaving a message and reported his original post to Facebook, which soon deleted the image.
“I applaud them for standing up for what they believe in,” Patterson said. “I just think they have feelings to this specific type of gun (that are) different than people around here do.”
Patterson considered changing the raffle item after the tragedy in Florida but decided to “turn it into a positive thing” after “getting the hate,” according to the Star.
As with all non-private firearm transfers, the winner of the raffle will be required to pass an FBI background check.
This isn’t the only AR-15 giveaway receiving criticism in recent days. Tyler Tannahill, a Marine vet and Kansas congressional candidate, experienced a similarly harsh backlash after announcing an AR-15 contest to raise support for his campaign.
Tannahill told The Star that he will continue with his giveaway despite recent events.
“No individual is for school shootings. It’s heartbreaking … being a parent, our thoughts on that, for me personally, I am a strong believer in the Second Amendment,” Tannahill said in an interview. “I think we need to have a discussion of what can be done and throwing out comments of displeasure isn’t going to solve it.”
If a cop shoots a baddie, the cop is blamed. If a student shoots a student the gun gets blamed?
I can’t understand the battle on the AR-15, They do not load them selves, they do not shoot them selves, they do not clean them selves, it did not walk to the school. The blame should not be the NRA, The Shooting Community, The AR – 15. They are blaming everything but the perpetrator. Because he is mentally Defective, he should still hold the blame. If he had a 1911 and bag full of magazines and did the same thing, would you blame the 1911?? I think Emotions made all the decision, making emotional decisions are not good for all involved
If the coach posts the link to buy tickets online he surely going to receive quite a bit of flack from the left wing preachers. But, I’ll wager he can’t print tickets fast enough for the numerous supporters who would gladly line up and buy them in support. This country is too quick to allow knee jerk emotional reactions to dominate the news. Common sense needs to be applied to the people not used a catch phrase for making more laws. We have so many laws now on the books, I’ll never understand why people think we need to keep adding more every single day for every single event.
The reactions from media & polticians in this country now epitomize the phrase ‘the squeaky wheel gets the grease.’ It doesn’t matter if that wheel is the minority. It’s the loudest & gets catered to.
Like the car rental company (can’t remember which) who offered discounts to NRA members. They cancelled that program after MSD shooting due to backlash from people on social media insisting they “stop supporting child murderers”, otherwise they would boycott them. I’d bet most of those threatening boycott never used that rental car service anyway. And what about all the real customers who used the NRA discount. They’ll now boycott the company but somehow that doesn’t matter? WTF?
THAT THERE AR-15 JUMP UP AND KILLED ALL THOSE PEOPLE. BAN CARS, BEER, D-RATS, KNIVES, NO HANDS, NO FEET, NO SEX BECAUSE OF HIV, NO TRAINS, NO PLANES, AND HAVE A WAR AND THE REAL AMERICAS CAN MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. BECAUSE THE CRYBABYS WOULD BE GONE.
Long time SD gun carrying shooting old guy here. I like this school as I do stupid real well, and they are almost as good at it as I am. In SD guns and hunting are a big part of our life, yet I do not think our schools are stupid enough to open the can or worms this school opened. Maybe they had an agenda, may it was just Stupid, and I like Stupid. Anyway, I worked KS for 6 weeks years ago. Great State and People. This whole Troll thing, well if your talking about Trolls you may be Trolling. Think About It. You want me to believe you, yet you tell me who and what I can believe in, I ain’t that Stupid, and I love doing Stupid.
A lottery for a cause supported by anti-gun ex congressperson Gabrielle Giffords (the one shot by a lunatic in Tucson) was exposed as offering an AR-15 as a prize. Just a little hypocritical don’t you think?
Tried to find info on purchasing a chance on the gun with no luck. Does anybody know how to get a raffle ticket?
Socialist Media Warriors ???
Gross !
Just ignore these crybaby anti everything trolls. They will eventually go back to daddy’s couch where they deadbeat day and night. Feel sorrow for the dead in Florida. Feel worse that the FBI cant seem to figure out whats important and whats not important to investigate. Guns dont kill: Drain weasels like Nick and the rest of the weirdos as his fellow chums at school called him, Kill. Keep supporting whats important and in our constitution. Forget the loud mouth 16 yr old trolls from Florida.