Aliquippa Police Department cancels gun raffle fundraiser 2 days after Texas school shooting
ALIQUIPPA, Pa (KDKA) — Just days after the tragedy in Texas, the Aliquippa Police Department was posting about raffling off a gun.
It has caused some concern about the optics of the situation in light of the mass shooting at the elementary school in Uvalde.
Aliquippa Police Chief John Lane said he understands why there was some concern, but he said his department is not promoting the sale of guns.
Lane said this was part of a fundraiser to benefit the family of the former police chief. Around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, the Aliquippa Police K-9 page posted about the gun raffle.
"We don't want any backlash on anyone trying to think we're promoting gun sales or something bad happening," Lane said.
Lane explained that the department does not give the gun away. The winner has to be at least 21 years old and pass a background check.
"If we have dealt with people before and we know they're probably not good people, that's not going to pass. We usually don't have to make that decision," Lane said. "It's very controlled of who we sell those tickets to. And with the background check, you can't go wrong."
According to the chief, this fundraiser started before the mass shooting in Texas. It was to coincide with the anniversary of Robert Sealock's death.
He said Thursday's post was an update to the ongoing fundraiser, which was expected to be something that could bring in potentially thousands of dollars.
"We're going to keep pushing and try to make his wife and his family as comfortable as possible," Lane said.
In past gun raffles, some winners have elected to take the cash value as their prize.
According to the fundraiser's Facebook page, it has stopped. No word yet on when it could happen again.