Gun Grabbers Controllers Never Let Mere Facts Interfere

In a bit of possibly poetic irony, a police organization is holding a raffle fundraiser for a law-enforcement memorial.

The prize? A Rock River Arms CAR UTE Elite, a .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle (article doesn't say whether the stock is the Law-enforcement-only collapsible or the peon civilian fixed style.)

Needless to say, the GFW's are frothing over it:

Tom Mannard, executive director of the Chicago-based Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, said guns like the CAR UTE Elite may not be on the banned list, but they basically are cloned replicas of assault rifles that are, like the Colt AR-15.

Mr. Mannard said the fact that it is being raffled off to help fund a memorial dedicated to officers killed in the line of duty is disturbing.

"To raffle off a gun used, more often than not, to kill innocent people, and particularly law-enforcement officers, is pretty misguided,'' he said. "To raise money for a memorial is wonderful, but you'd hate to see an officer's name go up on that memorial because they're killed by an AR-15 or a similar weapon.''

"...used, more often than not..."??? Ah, hyperbole. But they keep stating it as fact!

The officers have a pretty effective response, though:

That's highly unlikely, said Det. Karzin.

Only one officer in the last 44 years has been killed by a weapon of this sort in the state of Illinois,'' he said.

But since when have actual facts bothered gun controllers? Tell a lie often enough and people believe it.

John Johnson, executive director of Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence, said he was surprised to learn of the raffle one day after visiting the Quad-Cities to lobby for tighter assault-weapon restrictions.

"It's almost more than ironic that police officers would be auctioning off a weapon that is used in a disproportionate number of officer shootings,'' he said. "One out of five officers killed by guns are killed by assault weapons, even though they make up less than 5 percent of all guns.''

Mr. Jones? I want a cite for that "fact." Original source, not a "Brady Bunch" report.

Detective Karzin puts up a good defense, though:

"It's not what they're portraying it as,'' he said. "It's a legal weapon you can buy at any gun store in the Quad-Cities. It is not fully automatic. We couldn't raffle off a banned weapon, or I'd have to put myself in jail.''

Give 'em a little more time, Detective. Just ask New Jersey farmer Dennis Pryslak.