Local GOP Committee To Hold Gun Raffle Fundraiser

The Mont Vernon Republican Town Committee will be raffling off an impressive handgun for its first fundraising event of the year.

The nonprofit political group is offering up a Taurus Model 66 .357 Magnum that has been donated by Milford Firearms owner Nick D'augustine. Each $5 donation gets one entry into the raffle, which will take place at their monthly meeting on March. 16. Attendance at the meeting is not necessary to win the prize, and the winner must comply with all local, federal laws and pay for shipping.

Chairman Wesley Sonner said the fundraiser aligns with a series of discussions his committee has been having about the constitution, specifically the second amendment. Sonner also held gun raffles to raise money for his campaign in the Republican primary for Congress in 2010. 

Hosting a fundraiser around a gun can be a recipe for a political firestorm in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. The New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police recently made national headlines for their monthly gun raffle that includes semiautomatics.

Sonner said they worked hard to ensure they did not offer an “inflammatory weapon,” to avoid stirring up trouble. Yet the angry emails are already filling his inbox since news has caught on of his fundraiser. 

He explained that gun rights can still be a subject of healthy debate, which he said gun control supporters are trying to prevent.

“We have the environment we have where gun control advocates are using the Connecticut shooting to propel their agenda,” said Sonner. “We are not allowed to defend ourselves because of it and, at the same time, they are using the incident to accelerate their agenda. We need to all be able to discuss it and make arguments.”

The Mont Vernon Republicans will soon host a series of night courses in partnership with Hillsdale College in Michigan that center on constitutional topics. Sonner said their views on gun use and other issues are heavily grounded in the constitution.

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