A church in Johnson City, Tennessee will give out an AR-15 this upcoming weekend as part of a raffle. The River of Tri-Cities Church say the giveaway is in celebration of Independence Day.
“This is just one of the many giveaways that we do here at our church,” the church’s senior pastor Todd Holmes told News Channel 11 in Johnson City. “And I thought it was appropriate, since it’s, about our nation’s independence and part of our Constitution and our Second Amendment rights.”
Holmes would go on to push back on anyone who says that a gun should not be used in a raffle giveaway like this.
“There’s a lot more opportunity to be killed in vehicular violence or crash, I guess I should say, than there would be a gun. And people can get upset about something, but in the end it’s really not about a gun, it’s about a person’s heart and because a gun in itself is not evil. It’s as good or as evil as the person that’s using it,” he said.
He said whoever wins the raffle will be required to pass a background check to assure they are legally allowed to own a firearm.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.