A youth baseball league in central Illinois is in desperate need of cash – so they’ve decided to auction off an AR-15 assault rifle. Posted on 03/14/2013 5:31:00 AM PDT by Kaslin
A youth baseball league in central Illinois is in desperate need of cash – so they’ve decided to auction off an AR-15 assault rifle.
Last year the Atwood-Hammond baseball league tried to raffle off half a hog. But they only raised $10 – and barely had enough to pay the local butcher.
So this year a local gun shop provided the league with a Rock River Arms Tactical Operator Two – and the response has been massive.
“My phone has been ringing off the hook,” said Charidy Bucher, co-owner of the Atwood Armory shop. “The response has been tremendous.”
Bucher told me her phone has been ringing since 4:30 a.m.
“People from out of state have been calling,” she said.
She said the winner of the rifle will also receive 260 rounds of ammunition.
“Ammo is just as hard to get as the firearms these days, unfortunately,” she said.
The towns of Atwood and Hammond are about 25 miles southwest of Champaign – where many residents invoke their Second Amendment rights.
“Most people in central Illinois like to go out and shoot with their families,” she told Fox News. “People are interested in preserving their rights to keep and bear arms.”
Steve McClain, who heads up the local youth baseball program, said there are two gun stores in the town of 1,500 people.
“We are the heart of this country,” he said. “And we have a very large portion of the community who own guns. We’re right next to an Amish community and many of them are gun owners – and they’re pacifists.”
But is it appropriate for a youth baseball team to raffle a weapon?
Absolutely, McClain said.
“Most of the people complaining don’t even understand what an AR-15 is,” he told Fox News. “They are misinformed.”
He said critics of the raffle are off base.
“The reason there is violence with guns is because of the person – not the gun,” he said. “A gun is not about violence. It’s how you use it. You can be violent with a knife. Does that mean we should ban all knives?”
A Little League spokesman told Fox News the Illinois team is not officially chartered with their organization.
“It’s not against the law,” the spokesman said, referring to the gun raffle. “But we certainly would not recommend one of our leagues do something like that.”
Little League said they do not tell their leagues how they should raise funds.
“Hopefully, they would use their best possible judgment,” the spokesman said.
Bucher said she has received some negative calls – but the majority has been supportive.
“Everything is perfectly legal,” she said. “We’re not just handing the gun out. Whoever wins still has to go through the proper legal channels.”
That mean whoever wins would have to go through a background check and have an Illinois Firearms Owner’s Identification card.
The AR15, America’s Rifle. Baseball, apple pies, and ARs.
I was going to buy a ticket until I saw it was in Illinois... Not registering anything I have in that state.
Liberal heads exploding in 3...2...1...
Rock River...they’re doing it right.
When was that picture taken?
Two years ago?
Has anyone seen a “wall of ARs” like that in any gun store lately?
Yes, day before yesterday at Sharp Shooter’s Knife & Gun in Lubbock, TX. They also had ammo and reloading components in stock that I have not seen in the Houston area in months.
Maybe the supply is starting to catch up with a leveling off demand.
I might have to get me one of them there “American Rifles” when the price gets reasonable again...
Or, perhaps, an intrastate manufactured one that doesn’t require transfer papers.
I want one, a pink one would be fun
Reporters are prone to say stupid things, should be ban all reporters?
Reporters generally get law reporting wrong, yet toubin still has his job...
Nice. They’ll probably end up with gold-plated bats when this is over.
Where do I buy a ticket???
I guess in Atwood, Il
Here is the way to get your tickets! Tickets are just 20 each for the fundraisers and can be purchased at ATWOOD ARMORY or by mailing a check to ATWOOD ARMORY located at 65 E CR 1175 N, Atwood, IL 61913. Your ticket stubs will be mailed. Be sure to include a note with your name, address, and phone number. If you live out of state, the firearm ships to an FFL dealer in your area if you win.
This is precisely what I suggested FR do to bolster the Freepathon dollars!
Nomination for best post of the day.
KLBJ in Austin had this as a news story for the morning talk show, and the libs here called in quite a bit and said this was a bad move on the part of the team. Plenty of lib heads exploding in Austin that day.
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