http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/stat...cle_819fd030-eefa-52ba-8b6a-6eec16822bd4.html
AFTON — An Ottawa County minister is shell-shocked after a social media post about his church raffling off a gun to buy school supplies was shared dozens of times and put a spotlight on the small house of worship.
“We were not wanting the raffle to go viral — or to draw attention to myself or the church,” said Josh Wheeler, pastor of the First Assembly of God in Afton.
Although the raffle for a Smith and Wesson M&P 15 Sport II AR-15 raised some eyebrows, it also sold a lot of tickets.
“We just wanted to raise money to purchase school supplies for needy children,” Wheeler said.
All raffle profits will be used to purchase backpacks and school supplies for the children in Afton Public Schools, he said.
The church needed to raise at least $1,500, and a typical bake sale or car wash brings in only around $200, so it was decided to hold the gun raffle, Wheeler said.
Because funding for a school-based social program in Ottawa County was cut, Wheeler said he talked to some other leaders who agreed to hold the raffle to raise money.
In the past, the program had provided 1,000 backpacks and school supplies, Wheeler said.
“Our church typically gives away around 100 backpacks with supplies per year,” he said. “We are hoping to give closer to 200 backpacks this year.”
The Oklahoma City-based website ”The Lost Ogle” shared Wheeler’s original July 26 Facebook post advertising the raffle and linked the type of rifle to school shootings and other mass shootings. The post generated 16 comments, several of which clarified the type of weapon to be raffled. Other posts commented on similar church-related raffles and pointed out that if it had not been for education budget cuts there would be no reason for a raffle.
Most comments were supportive of the church’s right to raffle the rifle, but one commentor noted the irony of a church raffling such a weapon:
“Jesus did not go around handing out weapons,” the anonymous commentor wrote. “The idea is so antithetical to what he stood for that it makes a church raffling off a gun look scary and hypocritical in the extreme.”
Wheeler’s original post on his personal Facebook page had been shared 88 times by Friday evening. It has garnered few negative comments, with the majority of comments supporting the raffle.
“I think that there are misconceptions and misunderstandings everywhere, but for the most part it is more acceptable in a small rural town like Afton to raffle off a gun,” Wheeler said.
“The biggest misconception is that by participating in this raffle we are condoning mass shootings all across the country,” he continued, “when in fact we strongly disagree with a person using lethal force for any other means than to defend themselves, their family or their property.”
Wheeler said that at the center of a mass shooting “is an evil person using a gun as a means to carry out their evil plans.”
Wheeler said he has received phone calls from people who live in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Norman who support the gun raffle. One supporting telephone call came from a police officer, he said.
“The calls have been 99 percent in favor of the raffle,” Wheeler said.
Although the gun to be raffled is an AR-15, Wheeler said it is not an assault rifle. An assault rifle as a short, compact, selective-fire weapon that fires a cartridge intermediate in power between submachine gun and rifle cartridges, he said. AR-15s do not have this capability, he said.
Wheeler’s sons, ages 9 and 6, have graduated from BB guns to .22-caliber long rifles and are now shooting their dad’s AR-15 to prepare them for rifles that have more recoil, he said.
The Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport II AR-15 is one of Bass Pro Shops’ most popular weapons, said Kelly Williams, firearms sales and hunting associate at the retail chain.
Williams, who has worked at the Broken Arrow store for four years, said he has been around guns all of his life.
“It is not an assault rifle,” Williams said. “AR stands for Armalite rifle.” Armalite is the company that introduced the firearms.
The weapon is a higher quality weapon that is designed for both the military and police, Williams said. He said the gun is modeled on the military weapon, an M-16, but the AR-15 is primarily used for target shooting or small game hunting.
“We get ranchers and farmers in here all the time buying one (AR-15) to ward off coyotes that try to attack their livestock and chickens,” Williams said.
The 5.56-caliber shell is mimicked after the .223 hunting shell, he said.
The church is selling tickets at $5 a pop or five tickets for $20. As of this week it has sold around 150 raffle tickets, and Wheeler said he is getting several posts daily on his social networking site from people wanting to purchase tickets.
The gun was purchased from Excalibur Sporting Goods in Afton. Store owner Mike Nelson will draw the winning ticket on Aug. 31.
The winner must be at least 18 years old and able to pass a background check. The winner will also have to fill out the proper forms for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Upon approval, the gun will be transferred into his or her name, raffle organizers said.
AFTON — An Ottawa County minister is shell-shocked after a social media post about his church raffling off a gun to buy school supplies was shared dozens of times and put a spotlight on the small house of worship.
“We were not wanting the raffle to go viral — or to draw attention to myself or the church,” said Josh Wheeler, pastor of the First Assembly of God in Afton.
Although the raffle for a Smith and Wesson M&P 15 Sport II AR-15 raised some eyebrows, it also sold a lot of tickets.
“We just wanted to raise money to purchase school supplies for needy children,” Wheeler said.
All raffle profits will be used to purchase backpacks and school supplies for the children in Afton Public Schools, he said.
The church needed to raise at least $1,500, and a typical bake sale or car wash brings in only around $200, so it was decided to hold the gun raffle, Wheeler said.
Because funding for a school-based social program in Ottawa County was cut, Wheeler said he talked to some other leaders who agreed to hold the raffle to raise money.
In the past, the program had provided 1,000 backpacks and school supplies, Wheeler said.
“Our church typically gives away around 100 backpacks with supplies per year,” he said. “We are hoping to give closer to 200 backpacks this year.”
The Oklahoma City-based website ”The Lost Ogle” shared Wheeler’s original July 26 Facebook post advertising the raffle and linked the type of rifle to school shootings and other mass shootings. The post generated 16 comments, several of which clarified the type of weapon to be raffled. Other posts commented on similar church-related raffles and pointed out that if it had not been for education budget cuts there would be no reason for a raffle.
Most comments were supportive of the church’s right to raffle the rifle, but one commentor noted the irony of a church raffling such a weapon:
“Jesus did not go around handing out weapons,” the anonymous commentor wrote. “The idea is so antithetical to what he stood for that it makes a church raffling off a gun look scary and hypocritical in the extreme.”
Wheeler’s original post on his personal Facebook page had been shared 88 times by Friday evening. It has garnered few negative comments, with the majority of comments supporting the raffle.
“I think that there are misconceptions and misunderstandings everywhere, but for the most part it is more acceptable in a small rural town like Afton to raffle off a gun,” Wheeler said.
“The biggest misconception is that by participating in this raffle we are condoning mass shootings all across the country,” he continued, “when in fact we strongly disagree with a person using lethal force for any other means than to defend themselves, their family or their property.”
Wheeler said that at the center of a mass shooting “is an evil person using a gun as a means to carry out their evil plans.”
Wheeler said he has received phone calls from people who live in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Norman who support the gun raffle. One supporting telephone call came from a police officer, he said.
“The calls have been 99 percent in favor of the raffle,” Wheeler said.
Although the gun to be raffled is an AR-15, Wheeler said it is not an assault rifle. An assault rifle as a short, compact, selective-fire weapon that fires a cartridge intermediate in power between submachine gun and rifle cartridges, he said. AR-15s do not have this capability, he said.
Wheeler’s sons, ages 9 and 6, have graduated from BB guns to .22-caliber long rifles and are now shooting their dad’s AR-15 to prepare them for rifles that have more recoil, he said.
The Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport II AR-15 is one of Bass Pro Shops’ most popular weapons, said Kelly Williams, firearms sales and hunting associate at the retail chain.
Williams, who has worked at the Broken Arrow store for four years, said he has been around guns all of his life.
“It is not an assault rifle,” Williams said. “AR stands for Armalite rifle.” Armalite is the company that introduced the firearms.
The weapon is a higher quality weapon that is designed for both the military and police, Williams said. He said the gun is modeled on the military weapon, an M-16, but the AR-15 is primarily used for target shooting or small game hunting.
“We get ranchers and farmers in here all the time buying one (AR-15) to ward off coyotes that try to attack their livestock and chickens,” Williams said.
The 5.56-caliber shell is mimicked after the .223 hunting shell, he said.
The church is selling tickets at $5 a pop or five tickets for $20. As of this week it has sold around 150 raffle tickets, and Wheeler said he is getting several posts daily on his social networking site from people wanting to purchase tickets.
The gun was purchased from Excalibur Sporting Goods in Afton. Store owner Mike Nelson will draw the winning ticket on Aug. 31.
The winner must be at least 18 years old and able to pass a background check. The winner will also have to fill out the proper forms for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Upon approval, the gun will be transferred into his or her name, raffle organizers said.
