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Multnomah County Republican Party chairman James Buchal today sent out a fundraising pitch that's sure to draw attention: the group is raffling off a new Smith & Wesson M&P-15 rifle.
In a statement, Buchal explains his group will use proceeds from the fundraiser to underwrite the costs of watchdogging local government.
"Decades of one-party rule have left Portland under the control of what amounts to the gang that can't shoot straight, wasting taxpayer funds hand over fist and covering up their malfeasance," he writes. "The Party of Government cannot be depended upon ever to improve City government, but only to expand the compensation of its members while shrinking services and performance.
"The MCRP is one of the few organizations focused on exposing and publicizing the dark underbelly of City politics, but these efforts cost money. It costs money to pay the fees required to put our volunteers on the City streets at street fairs, educating City residents. It costs money to collect signatures for important initiatives that improve government for us all."
Earlier this year, Buchal's group tried a different fundraising approach: claiming the GOP had been intimidated by violent leftists. Under Buchal, the tiny party—it claims less than 200 active members—has aligned itself with extremist groups, including paramilitary organizations.
Related: Multnomah County Republicans raise funds by alleging "threats of leftist violence."
Smith & Wesson's website says the semi-automatic rifle has a suggested retail price of $1,239.
Buchal's message says tickets are limited: "Only 500 tickets will be sold, $10 each or three for $25."
This isn't the first time Multnomah County Republicans have raised cash with a firearm sale.
Three years ago, the same group auctioned off a semi-automatic rifle in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Abraham Lincoln, both of whom were, of course, killed by assassin's bullets.