The Buckeye Firearms Association is raffling off an AR-15, along with a special trigger and ammo, ahead of the 12 Democratic candidates taking the debate stage in Westerville.
The group's Dean Rieck says this is in response to the candidates' stances on gun regulation, in particular Beto O'Rourke who said in the last debate, "Hell yes we're gonna take your AR-15s."
"We're saying 'hell no we're not gonna let you do that,'" says Rieck.
The Beto "Hell Yes" AR-15 Raffle - $2,875 Prize Package: https://t.co/RMYxRLIzZA @Faxon_Firearms @BetoORourke pic.twitter.com/9URmV9jTQx
— Buckeye Firearms Association (@BuckeyeFirearms) October 14, 2019
This is just one of several events going on around central Ohio as groups are using the national event to get their own messages across outside of the debate venue.
DNC Chair Tom Perez is touring Ohio to discuss several issues such as guns, labor, and women's rights. And RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel will be hosting a "Women for Trump" event in Powell, a nearby suburb.
A labor union group and an organization that advocates against taxes on feminine hygiene products both plan to hold demonstrations on Otterbein's campus.
