Is the AR-15 an assault rifle? No, but that is the common view and, as such, use of an AR-15 as a raffle to benefit abused children comes across as a very thoughtless act. (“Albemarle police chief promoting AR-15 raffle”).

If a weapon must be used for the raffle, itself debatable, why not a standard hunting or sports rifle that carries fewer connotations of violence? Why not use something besides a weapon for the raffle, a prize that is better suited to the cause of the intended beneficiaries, like a lawn mower?

— Gene Goetz

Salisbury