A pastor from Oregon who won an assault rifle in a raffle may face charges for unlawfully transferring the weapon to a parishioner.
ChristianToday.com reports that Pastor Jeremy Lucas of The Episcopal Church’s Christ Church parish in Lake Oswego, Oregon set out to win the AR-15 rifle so that he could melt it down and remake it into a symbol of hope.
Pastor Lucas was hoping to add his voice to the gun control discussion.
Lucas succeeded in winning the rifle, which was the raffle prize at a fundraiser hosted by a local softball team.
Lucas spent $3,000 of his personal money and bought 150 raffle tickets. His plan worked when he won the rifle. However, he is now in trouble for handing the rifle to a parishioner after he won it.
Oregon law requires anyone transferring a weapon to someone else to make sure the other person has had a background check.
If convicted of unlawfully transferring a weapon, Lucas could face a fine of up to $6,250 and up to a year in prison.
He has not allowed this possible conviction to deter him from his original purpose, however.
"Anything that furthers the conversation about our gun laws in the state of Oregon, I'm happy that that would happen," he said.
Publication date: August 2, 2016