Girls' softball league rifle raffle upsets some in St. Helens
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ST. HELENS, Ore. – The fundraiser for a local girls' softball league didn't feature candy bars or cookie dough sales; instead, it has raffled off an AR-15 rifle complete with a couple magazines for ammunition.
Angry parents emailed KATU when they first found about the raffle.
League board president Devin Degraffenreid and another parent came up with the idea to find a way to fund some improvements to fields and buy new equipment.
"This league – already we're hurting for equipment," Degraffenreid said. "We're hurting every year trying to get the fundraisers. ... So we said, you know what, let's try it. Let's just see what happens."
Parent Betty Bundy said she thought it was a joke at first when she saw her daughter's softball league logo on the same flier as a rifle that advertised raffle tickets.
"What I'm most upset about is the fact that they don't feel they've done anything wrong – even seeing this rift through our community," Bundy said.
Degraffenreid defended the decision.
"In my book, that's a success. It was a business decision," he said.
Degraffenreid said the softball players themselves never sold tickets – only coaches. The 330 raffle tickets sold in two days raised about $2,000 for the league.
"Trust me, in 13 years, this is the easiest fundraiser I've ever done in my life," DeGraffenreid said.
"I can't deny its success," said Bundy. "It was very successful, and you know what, they could do it 20 more times and it would be. But at the cost of how your community feels? Is it worth it?"
The winner has to be able to pass a background check and also sign a release of liability. The board says it hasn't done anything wrong.
Would it be ok to raffle off tickets to the Bunny Club in Reno, NV? How about free drinks at Spirit Mountain? The conseratards have no morals.
@dynamited77Â Or Clinton selling nights in the whitehouse
When was the last time a "shooting" occurred in this community? Even being statistically significant for it's population?
@TimBurr Then how does the gun give you security?
@dynamited77Â @TimBurr How does a gun give you security?
How does a knife give you security?
How does bat give you security?
How does an alarm system give you security?
All a level of security, but ONE is better than the rest.
@deejm2112Â @TimBurr As expected
@TimBurr enjoy the moment (should you chose), probably won't happen again.
@deejm2112Â @dynamited77Â @TimBurr Such a trooper.
@dynamited77Â @TimBurr no...as much as I hate to side with Tim he said "shooting", not crime, although that is at historic lows as well.
gun deaths. Not crime rate.
@TimBurr @dynamited77 You just said the crime rate was so low there was nothing to fear?
It's not about the girls, it's not about the raffle, it's about what they raffled, but I can totally see why some parents would object, I mean seriously folks, is it that hard to see the other side?
Me? I would have probably bought a ticket, nice looking gun, not sure it was the proper thing to do, a bit insensitive I think.
Tact can go a really long way.
@deejm2112 In this case tactlessness went further than tact would have.
Someone should publish the names of all the "angry parent(s)" who actually live in the community.
@TimBurr Probably way less than is inferred.  If any at all.
They did everything legally and above board. Â I think they could have sold more tickets, and raised even more money. Â I hope they do it again.
I think it was a great idea but they could have chosen more practical HUNTING" rifle versus an assault rifle copy given all the controversy around assault rifles with large capacity clips lately. On the other hand, in St. Helens, that is probably in part why they sold all the tickets in two days
Well it was that or a softball mom calendar thing....
I'm not surprised to hear this comes out of St. Helens!
Great idea! A good honest way to bring in some good money for the team! To bad that so many liberals are afraid of firearms. To the liberals, 1% misuse a tool and it is all the tool's fault and the tool should be banned. The liberal mentality just doesn't make any sense at all.
@Freedom1267 Where does the article say anything about Liberals??  and where do you get this 1% nonsense?  Maybe the reason people....conservative and liberal  would like to see something done in regards to gun control is that this "tool" is used to kill many in a short period of time. Â
@PD1202Â @Freedom1267 The "tool' kills less than it perceived. Most people who die from gun violence are gang members and I have no compassion for them. The number of accidental shootings is less than drownings in private swimming pools. The number of lives that guns saved is impossible to determine, but I am sure there are some. With that said - the article is not about people opposing some common sense gun regulations - it is about people freaking out because someone else decided to sell a rifle - that's sounds like a stereotypical liberal behavior.
One time we were going for a big wilderness trip and wanted to get a head start on traffic on Friday, so we all packed and then went to pick up our friend's son from school. Although, knowingly - we did violate gun-free zone because we did have firearms in our car. Criminals won't be stopped by a gun-free zone, like the recent case proves, so the law is silly and useless and makes criminals out of well-intended people.Â
@deejm2112@Julie@PD1202@Freedom1267If a person runs at you , then 10 should be enough, but if you are attacked by wolves, like this one lady in Alaska - you'll probably appreciate 17.
%s
@Julie @deejm2112 @PD1202 @Freedom1267 if you need more than 10 rounds you're in deep doo doo but I think 17 would be a good compromise.
@deejm2112 @Julie @PD1202 @Freedom1267 I would agree that 30 rounds is not practical for self defense, but standard 17 would make me feel better than 10.
@Julie I agree with you on that...would be nice to have some uniformity in the laws, at least state to state.
@PD1202 @Julie @deejm2112 @Freedom1267 Quite a few. For example there are differences in what are you allowed to have in your car and what not in different towns, so if you drive through some towns, you can have your ammo and guns stored in a way that would be illegal in another town. So just crossing from one town to another, you might violate the law unknowingly. Gun-free zones also tend to sneak up on you at times. If you decide to open carry in Tigard, then you are a felon, but it is perfectly fine in Salem. So for example, you are living in Vancouver, WA (your CCL is not valid in OR) and driving South and stop to tank up in Tigard. You do not want to live your handgun in the car because you do not want it to get stolen, so you take it with you ... bamm ... you are a felon.
@Julie @deejm2112 @PD1202 @Freedom1267 Please tell me which one is now in place that would make a law abiding gun owner into a criminal?  I'm curious....
@Julie @deejm2112 @PD1202 @Freedom1267 A bit of common ground there. I agree that banning certain weapons won't do much if anything, hi-cap mags...well, I'm indifferent although no one REALLY needs them IMO.
@deejm2112 @Julie @PD1202 @Freedom1267 I know a lot about gun regulations - my husband and I have a few :I do not believe that banning few types of guns and high cap mags would do any good, however, some other regulations in the package I would support. There are many regulations now in place that make no sense and would make law abiding gun owners into criminals, so they should probably be re-worked.
@Julie @deejm2112 @PD1202 @Freedom1267 I know a lot about pools, had one in MA.
You have a point, and regulations are updated to minimize risks just like fence requirements are updated over the years, but god forbid anything with firearms is updated when 20+ kids are slaughtered. If 20 kids drowned in a swimming pool you can guarantee there'd be updates to the laws regarding the cause.
@deejm2112 @Julie @PD1202 @Freedom1267 I stand corrected. However, this does not change the point that I was making, right?
@Julie@deejm2112@PD1202@Freedom1267http://www.ehow.com/list_7416355_oregon-laws-pool-fencing.html
Regulations....
@deejm2112 @Julie @PD1202 @Freedom1267 Not regulations - instructions. It is not a felony to not fence the swimming pool.
@Julie @PD1202 @Freedom1267 And there are a boatload of regulations if you want to own a pool including how to "store it" (fencing), etc...probably harder to get a pool installed depending on where you live.
@PD1202Â @Freedom1267Â You related to dianne fienstein?
@PD1202 @rooster @Freedom1267 Aw shucks didn meen to sho ma igornance you bein such a smart pro-gun felleran awl, but get used to me cause I ain't goin away
@rooster @PD1202 @Freedom1267 Ah, another newbee to the forum.  When you can bring something to the conversation and be intelligent doing so..then I will respond to you.  The only thing I will leave you with..is that you have no clue about my stance on this issue...now go read some of my past posts and then you will see.  I'm pro-gun bright one, who would like something done in regards to new gun legislation.  How's that.
@PD1202Â @Freedom1267 or hammers that kill many more in a long period of time. "Bad hammers, bad !"
Wait... so adults, raffled off tickets to people over 18...for a legal firearm...and raised a few thousand dollars for the little league....and your outraged?  Seems perfectly legal to me.  And it benifited a great cause. Â
@PDXcougfan It' not about the legality, some parents don't think it was appropriate, completely reasonable and expected response I think given the great divide amongst the population.
To think no one would complain is VERY naive.
Someone should let the softball team know that it's much easier to create a fake story about a hoax and sell Girl Scout cookies.Â
@lakeview Some of us don't like to lie, you on the other hand........
@Jeepers @lakeview  What part of nobody bothered to confirm any of that story don't you get? You are so naive...
The media is lazy and just pushes out stories. Was the "hoax" real? I don't know and neither do you. And more importantly, neither does KATU.Â
@lakeview @Jeepers Just somebody smart enough to remember some of your previous comments.
@Jeepers @lakeview And who are you again?Â
@lakeview @Jeepers I haven't heard anything about it. I thought you were just pulling something out of your rear like normal.
that was a great idea for this time in history, educate people, make these tools more acceptable to society, it is good to educate people when they are young about gun safety, that is when it will be more likely to stick with them the rest of their lives. Now as for the anti gun people on this page I feel bad for you, your ignorance towards guns makes me feel sorry for you, I can not imagine going through life being intimidated by a tool, I think that maybe it would be a good idea to put yourself through a gun safety program just as a start to conquer that fear.
@franksbeans The anti-gun people should display a sign in their front yard proclaiming they have no guns
Would people have preferred a car be raffled off so that yet another drunk driver can get behind the wheel and take someone out... which incidently a higher percentage of the time actually happens vs. being shot with an Assault Rifle in our country.