Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, is firing up his campaign for U.S. Congress -- literally. Evers is planning a “full-auto fundraiser” later this month which will allow each donor to fire off hundreds of rounds of ammunition at photos of stimulated terrorists using assault and machine guns.
“Since some folks don’t understand the difference between an AR-15 and a real assault rifle capable of automatic fire, we’re going to show them,” Evers said. “I think people will get a big kick out of seeing what a real assault rifle can do, and they'll have even more fun shooting up simulated terrorists.”
Donors will fire up to six fully automatic machine guns at the July 23 event at the Pensacola Indoor Shooting Range, including two military-grade M-16 assault rifles as well as four different varieties of submachine guns.
Each weapon is legal to use on a supervised gun range.
Guests will be divided into “tiers” which will allow them more access to different firearms depending on how much money they donate. For $2700, guests can make it into “Tier One,” which includes access to all six machine guns with five magazines per gun and ammo included.
Tier Two, which costs $1500, lets donors shoot four machine guns with four magazines per gun, with ammo included. Tier Three, for donors who give $500, will let guests shoot two machine guns with three magazines and ammo included.
A $100 donation gets donors into the “Active Military” tier, which lets them shoot one machine gun with three magazines.
According to a press release, a prize will be awarded to the guest who “kills” Osama bin Laden with the most automatic-fire accuracy.
This isn’t the only gun-related event Evers has put on in recent weeks.
Last month, Evers announced he would be holding an assault rifle giveaway for a lucky voter in his district. The winner of the Facebook contest was randomly chosen July 4 and needed to pass the strict eligibility requirements before receiving the custom-built AR 15 rifle.
Sen. Evers has served in the Florida Legislature for 15 years and has served in the Senate for the last six years. He will face off against Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, for a seat left vacant by retiring U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller during the August primary.
The National Rifle Association has been a staunch supporter of Evers during his time as a state lawmaker, giving him an A-plus grade for the last 15 years.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
