A youth football and cheerleading league in North Carolina is receiving criticism for including a surprising item amongst its raffle prizes.
The raffle held by East Henderson Youth Football and Cheerleading League (EHYFCL) in East Flat Rock, NC at a recent event gave the winner of a recent raffle an FN 15 Patrol Carbine rifle.
Plenty of parents were unhappy with the prize choice and voiced their concerns to the EHYFCL accordingly.
“I was honestly shocked when I received the message that the children were going to be selling an assault rifle because of what’s going on at schools around the country,” the unnamed parent said.
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However, as is the case with most people who rely on emotional reactions to any sighting of a weapon, this fear doesn’t tell the whole story. The FN 15 Patrol Carbine is not fully automatic, meaning it cannot be considered an assault rifle, which directly refutes the claim made by that parent.
“We aren’t offering an assault rifle. We are offering an FN 15 Patrol Carbine,” a spokesperson for the EHYFCL told Fox News Digital. “This is an ArmaLite 15-style rifle, not fully automatic, which by definition excludes it from being classified as an assault rifle. We are following all ATF guidelines. The item is being held at an FFL, the recipient must complete an ATF form 4473 and pass an NICS background check before taking possession of it.”
So not only is the EHYFCL offering a rifle that isn’t as dangerous as some parents think it is, it is requiring the winner to pass a federal background check before getting the firearm itself.
As for whether or not the sale is in bad taste considering what is going on at schools in the country, that's debatable at best. The fact that the league made the winner pass a background check shows the league auctioned an item that they knew would likely earn them a lot of money, and are administering the prize in a responsible way.
Sounds like all the parents that are upset about this need to temper their tantrums.
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