TN Rep. Andy Holt is giving away AR-15s at his fundraiser

Honestly, I’m not shocked.

How can I be shocked? It makes total sense. It makes complete sense that a man who voted to defund the University of Tennessee’s Diversity Office would decide to pull this stunt in the wake of the Orlando shooting. It makes sense that the kind of man who voted to allow guns in public parks wouldn’t see the problem with just giving away assault rifles at his fundraiser.

Originally, Rep. Andy Holt was only planning on giving one AR-15 away at his fundraiser. However, following the tragedy in Orlando, he has decided he wants to give away two of these rifles. He claims this is in response to the backlash he’d already received, rather than in response to the Orlando shooting. He says this is meant to make people safer.

But how, Representative Holt? How will giving away two guns make people safer? How can you be sure that these guns are going to responsible people? Will you be running background checks on everyone who enters to win these door prizes? Tennessee state law doesn’t require background checks to be run on people who are being given a gun privately. I assume that’s how you’re getting around our state’s raffle and gambling laws, which prohibits political candidates from conducting raffles.

Gambling law aside, you’re going to give guns away as gifts to complete strangers who show up and make a donation to your campaign. Maybe you’ll do due diligence and conduct a background check, but our nation’s background checks are so flawed that guns still end up in the wrong hands.

You complain about how the media is sensationalizing the AR-15 and how the media has made it a terrorist’s go-to for inciting chaos. But through these actions, are you not also contributing to this problem? Are you not capitalizing on the deaths of 49 LGBTQ+ people by using this turmoil to create more press for your fundraiser? Are you not contributing to the sensation by giving away two assault rifles in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting our country has seen?

Sure, you’re doing it out of spite. Sure, you’re defending your beliefs. Sure, the liberals are jumping down your throat and you want to take a stand.

But how the hell is this responsible? How are you being a responsible gun owner by treating an AR-15 like it’s a Starbucks gift card or a nice fruit basket – something to be given away with little regard for where it goes? I was raised in a household with guns. My parents have carry permits. My uncle has a bullet in his back from an accident when he was a teenager. I was taught to respect guns. I was taught that guns come with a huge responsibility and when I hold one in my hands, I have the power to inflict untold damage.

Andy Holt, you’re treating weapons like they’re Nerf guns. I don’t care how you try to spin it, I can’t respect it. This isn’t a matter of trying to uphold your Second Amendment rights, this is a matter of you trying to rake in more money for your campaign. I respect the right to bear arms, but I have more respect for the dead and the mourning. Maybe you should try that.