Illinois Gun Store Raffling Off AR-15s to Benefit Orlando Victims

A gun shop in McHenry, Ill., is raffling off AR-15 assault rifles to benefit the victims of the attack on Orlando's Pulse nightclub, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. On June 12, 29-year-old Omar Mateen killed 49 people, while injuring 53 more, when he opened fire on the Florida gay bar using a Sig Sauer MCX, a semi-automatic similar to the AR-15.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the OneOrlando Fund, a charity run by the Strengthen Orlando Inc. nonprofit to benefit the victims and their families. In addition, the store will personally donate $2,000.

Bert Irslinger Jr., the owner of Second Amendment, told Chicago TV station WLS that the raffle has angered many customers, but he isn't backing down.

"We don't believe this is a gun issue, this is a terrorism issue and this is an act against American citizens," Irslinger said, adding, "We wish to stand by those people, and this is our way of raising money, and it's a very efficient, very effective way of raising money for them."

Jason Mendes-McAllister was a friend of 34-year-old Eddie Sotomayor, one of the victims of the Orlando tragedy. Often called "Top Hat Eddie," Sotomayor worked for an LGBT travel agency and helped organize the first gay and lesbian cruise to Cuba, which set sail last April. At his funeral Saturday, Sotomayor's loved ones danced in his honor.

Mendes-McAllister said the fundraiser is an insult to Sotomayor's memory. "When you're sitting there and you're raising funds off the sale of something that killed so many people in such a short amount of time, you end up putting salt in other people's wounds," he told WLS.

Kathleen Larimer said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune that the Second Amendment fundraiser is a "publicity ploy."

"Guns are not toys," stated Larimer, whose son, John, was one of the 12 people murdered in the 2012 shooting on a theater in Aurora, Colo. "They should be taken seriously. I'm not saying they should be illegal, but raffling off a gun is not taking its killing power seriously."

The youngest of five, Larimer served in the Navy. He died protecting his girlfriend from the gunfire.

Colleen Daley, who serves as the executive director for the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, also believes the raffle is "distasteful and offensive." Daley told the Tribune, "These guns are weapons of war, meant to kill large numbers of people in a short time, which is what happened in Orlando."

In previous interviews, she has criticized the AR-15 rifle, asking why anyone would need to own one. "Every single gun starts off legal," Daley told Chicago TV station WFLD. "And clearly the problem we have is the easy accessibility of guns in our country."

The gun store in McHenry, which is located 50 miles outside Chicago, is not the first business or individual to give away AR-15s in the wake of the Orlando shooting.

Earlier this month, a used car dealership in New Hampshire promised customers a free assault rifle with every automobile purchase in its "Buy a Car, Get an AR" promotion. Meanwhile, Florida State Rep. Andy Holt handed out two AR-15s at a giveaway called HogFest last Saturday.

Raffle tickets for the McHenry fundraiser, set to be held July 31, are $5 a piece.