NRA Gun Raffle Canceled On Staten Island, Officials Say

NEW YORK, NY — A Staten Island venue has canceled a fundraiser it planned to host for a National Rifle Association charity amid a backlash, officials representing the borough said Thursday. The Vanderbilt at South Beach will no longer welcome the Staten Island Friends of NRA's Sept. 13 dinner where the group planned to give away a pistol and hunting knife as raffle prizes, state Assemblyman Matthew Titone and City Councilwoman Debi Rose said on Twitter.

A person who answered the phone at The Vanderbilt Thursday morning said no one was immediately available to discuss the decision. But Mark Tranchina, the venue's owner, confirmed the cancelation to the Staten Island Advance.

Titone, Rose and state Sen. Diane Savino, all Democrats, had called on the catering hall to stop the event benefitting the NRA Foundation, which gives money to gun-sports programs and to the NRA itself.

"We sent a message yesterday that we will not tolerate the promotion of an organization that puts unrestricted gun ownership ahead of the safety of our children – and that message has been heard," Rose said in a statement Thursday. "I thank all those who joined us in raising their voices, as well as the Vanderbilt for listening to our collective voices, and I look forward to continuing to work together in the pursuit of commonsense solutions to keep our streets and our students safe."

Benjamin Pulice, who's listed as the point of contact for Staten Island Friends of NRA, declined to comment and referred questions to the NRA's public affairs office, which did not immediately return a request for comment.

The event is the second such dinner in two weeks to be canceled as advocates across the nation push for stronger gun control laws following the deadly Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

Gargiulo's Restaurant in Coney Island scrapped plans to host an April 12 fundraiser for Brooklyn's Friends of NRA, where at least half a dozen guns would have been on the table as raffle and auction prizes.

Titone, Rose and Savino reportedly argued it was wrong for The Vanderbilt to welcome an organization tied to a powerful gun lobby group that opposes stronger gun laws.

"To be clear, #StatenIsland #democrats hold multiple events at this facility," Titone tweeted Wednesday. "We appreciate them & the staff, but accommodating an organization that has blocked all reasonable efforts to end #GunViolence is beyond the pale."

(Lead image: Photo by digitalreflections/Shutterstock)