School Supporters Push Back Against Group Trying To Stop Firearm Fundraising

    An ongoing effort to prevent gun raffles from raising funds for Lake County School students is gaining little traction, as the Lake County School Board continues to distance itself from any direct connection with the activity and, at least in Umatilla, those conducting the raffles showing little interest in discontinuing the practice.
    In Lake County, gun raffles have been shown to be a highly profitable way to raise money for community support groups. Locally, the Umatilla Kiwanis Club, Umatilla Chamber of Commerce, Project Graduation, and high school athletic boosters have all engaged in gun raffles in recent years to profitable effect. However, last spring’s Project Graduation gun raffle drew headlines as some questioned a school group raising money off gun raffles, and this week, an effort by the Lake County Democratic Party Executive Committee to see the practice stopped went public with billboards around the county.
    One such billboard, on US Hwy 441 near the Leesburg Airport, asks people to call the Lake County School Board to voice their desire that the practice end.
    However, the number on the billboard is for the main office of the Lake County School Board, which this week reiterated its stance that it has no purview over independent volunteer groups fundraising efforts, as long as they are legal.
    “The district is not involved in the raffling of guns,” said Stephanie Luke, current chairman of the Lake County School Board and whose district includes both Umatilla and Eustis High Schools. Luke said, for example, raffles conducted by the Umatilla High School boosters, are outside of School Board oversight. “This is an independent group of parents who have come together to support students in this community.”
    Luke said she personally understands the value of raffling guns to raise money for programs that must be funded by sources outside of the school system’s budget ability.
    “It’s a legal, longstanding, well-supported event in Umatilla, where many of the residents are law-abiding gun owners.”
    Luke said the school board’s position on the matter could be summed up succinctly.
    “So long as they are legal and they are conducted legally, we’re not involved in it.”
    The raffles are conducted within certain parameters, including tickets only being sold to adults, no tickets are sold to students, tickets aren’t sold at schools, and the legal processes involved with registering and otherwise transferring ownership to owners are followed.
    Umatilla High School athletic booster president J.D. Ross this week said he has been fielding calls from people concerned the practice could end, but said supporters of UHS athletics, and of gun raffles, needn’t worry.
    “We’re going to do it just like we have in the past,” Ross said. “To me, I feel like the fundraising of guns is a vital part of our efforts.”
    Ross said gun raffles, which are again expected to be a part of the big Bulldog Night event later this fall, bring in far more money than other types of raffles.
    "We would miss out on opportunities to help the student-athletes if we lost that money," Ross said. "We're going to run business as usual."
    More broadly, Umatilla Chamber of Commerce President Ray Powers this week voiced full-throated support of the practice.
    “The Umatilla Chamber of Commerce supports our high school and our local clubs and civic organizations. Many of which have had raffles for firearms for many years. We are against hurting our children by punishing them financially. Especially underprivileged children. Owning firearms is a Constitutional right. So not only does this radical ideology harm children and organizations that help others, it is also an attack on the Constitution. I would ask those attacking the raffling of firearms to stop harming those that are innocent and in need.”’