Md. Firehouse Raises Funds by Raffling Guns
Oct. 15--As she scrolled through her Facebook newsfeed one day last month, Laura Densock was shocked when she saw an ad for a "30 guns in 30 days" raffle at the New Market Volunteer Fire Co. in Frederick County.
A mother of three from Monrovia, Densock could not understand how the lifesaving paramedics and firefighters who work in the fire hall could reconcile the giveaway of a lethal weapon.
Densock said she and other mothers exchanged messages that expressed outrage, sadness and confusion.
"Isn't it just in bad taste to be handing out guns like candy?" Densock asked. "We have too many gun-related deaths in the U.S. As a nation, we have a large gun issue."
But gun raffles are more common in Frederick County than those who don't own guns might expect.
Since January, guns have been raffled away in fire halls, and by Little League teams and youth organizations.
At least half a dozen gun raffles have been held in Frederick County since January.
In June, the Brunswick Railroaders Little League sold 1,000 tickets to raffle off 30 guns in 30 days as well.
On Saturday, the Middletown Volunteer Fire Co. will raffle 18 guns at a Sportsman Raffle and dinner.
In New Market, where fire company leaders did not return phone calls for comment, raffle winners will be announced in November. The company held a similar fundraiser last year to help cover payments on buildings and fire-engine loans.
An exact figure for the number of guns raffled so far this year in the county is not available because county gaming permits do not require applicants to disclose what products are being raffled.
The Vigilant Hose Co. in Emmitsburg and Brunswick Volunteer Fire Co. are entering their 13th year selling calendars that serve as raffle entries to win a gun a day, nearly every day of the year (in the 12 days leading up to Christmas, the prize is $1,000 cash).
"It's our second-largest fundraiser. It really helps us with our overall operating expenses," said Frank Davis, chairman of the calendar committee and former chief of the Emmitsburg company.
He said many of the calendars are purchased by people across the country, most of them repeat customers. All told, the companies have raffled off thousands of hunting guns since 2003.
Many of the guns don't end up in Frederick County. In August, the companies raffled 28 guns; five of the winners were from Frederick County.
For those who don't want a gun, there is a cash option for every winner, Davis said.
Though he doesn't own guns himself, Davis said he didn't see any problem with the raffles.
"Firearms in the proper hands are safe. Anything in the wrong hands is dangerous," Davis said. "We pick up more people from automobile accidents than shootings, so should we take vehicles away from some people?"
Roy Lipscomb, owner of R&R Guns and Ammo in Brunswick, supplies the guns for many raffles, which he considers part of the county's tradition.
"Gun raffles have been going on for 25 years or more," Lipscomb said.
Last week, he had raffle guns set aside in his stock room for at least three fire companies and a 4-H group.
Anyone who wins a gun in a raffle must come to the store in person and complete all required paperwork and a background check before they receive the weapon, Lipscomb said.
He dismissed concerns about the raffles.
"If you don't like guns, don't buy one. Don't own one," he said. "Don't criticize people who are respectful gun owners, who love to hunt and sport shoot."
Lindsay Nichols, a senior attorney at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a California-based group that provides free legal information in support of efforts to tighten gun laws, found the raffles bothersome.
"Gun ownership requires certain serious responsibilities. It is concerning that people are making a game of it and doing it so frequently," Nichols said.
Densock, who was previously unaware of other gun raffles in Frederick County, agreed.
"If you want a gun in your household, it should be a well-thought-out process, not a prize," she said. "Just because other entities are doing this, I don't think guns as prizes are appropriate."
Copyright 2015 - The Frederick News-Post, Md.
