Not Baffled By The Raffle

Less than a week after they were pilloried by critics in both parties for auctioning off a Glock handgun similar to the one used to shoot Rep. Gabby Giffords in the head, the Pima County Arizona Republican Party is flush with attention, enough that chairman Mike Shaw thinks raffling off another firearm is a great idea.

The Arizona Daily Star reports the Pima County GOP saw such a bump in interest after all the national attention for the Glock raffle that Shaw decided to throw another weapon on the auction block. The paper reports the GOP "subsequently raffled a deer rifle" after the Glock fundraiser went so well.

It's worth noting that Shaw's critics on both sides of the aisle told TPM last week that a rifle auction would probably never have drawn the criticism the Glock auction did in gun-friendly Arizona. With a local election a day away in Pima County's biggest city, Tucson -- which residents refer to as "the Berkeley of Arizona" -- the Star reports city Republcians are sprinting away from the county GOP's fundraising decisions.

"When you have a slate of candidates who are already trying to generate some name recognition, in a city where they are out-registered by 2-to-1, and you tie a Glock to their tail, you've pretty much shown that you don't understand the dynamics of the area," Tucson councilperson Steve Kozachik (R) told the paper. He "characterized [the Glock auction] as 'incredibly stupid,'" the paper reports.

Once again, Tuscon Republicans are walling themselves off from the Pima County GOP as fast as they can, because even Republicans think this is a horrible idea.  Even worse however is the message this sends: a morbid attempt to raise money off supporting firearms rights after a Congresswoman was shot in the head just eight months ago seems at best inappropriately creepy and at worst, a loud and unmistakeable threat to other Democrats.

The fact they are doing this twice now makes me believe the truth is far closer to the latter.