Grace Baptist Church in Troy, New York is passing out fliers with a photo of the legally-modified AR-15 they’re raffling off and a quote from Jesus, “My peace I give to you.”
According to News Channel 13 in Albany, NY, “the church is in the district of Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin (R-Melrose), who will be speaking at the [gun away] event.”
Although the church is requiring that “any applicants” for the gun to go through a background check and is reserving the right “to disqualify people of questionable character,” some area churches are up in arms over the giveaway.
Troy-area pastor Willie Bacote said, “I don’t believe the church should serve in that capacity of arming people in any particular way, except through the word of God.”
Assemblyman McLaughlin countered: “It’s a legal product. Churches raffle off items all the time. My church has a $10,000 raffle every single year. I mean, I don’t know how it’s a controversy, quite honestly, that law-abiding, church-going citizens of New York that are legal gun owners are taking part in a raffle to raise funds for a church.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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