Holiday firearms raffle hosted by Lockhart police union canceled due to being illegal

Austin American-Statesman
Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman
December 6, 2023

An annual raffle that awards rifles to the winner, held as a holiday fundraiser by the Lockhart police union, was canceled this year due to state law making it illegal for the organization to hold a raffle.

The cancellation comes after the Caldwell/Hays Examiner, a local nonprofit news and advocacy organization, questioned the legality of the raffle in a Facebook post on Nov. 30. The site said the Police Association of Lockhart had only been a 501(c) nonprofit for two years and state law stipulates that an organization must have that classification for three years before being allowed to hold a raffle.

The next day, the Police Association of Lockhart said in a Facebook post that it was canceling its rifle raffle. The fundraiser was meant to help buy Christmas gifts for children in need.

"It is with a heavy heart that we, the Police Association of Lockhart, have made the decision to cancel the Annual Rifle Raffle," the police union said in a Facebook post on Dec. 1. "It has come to our attention that due to clerical oversight we are not within legal regulations to hold a raffle this year."

The police union asked that people make donations in cash, in a check or through an online payment system such as Venmo. The organization also said people could donate a new toy at the Lockhart Police Department.

Anyone who purchased a ticket for the raffle would receive a refund, the union said.

The raffle included three prizes: a semi-automatic shotgun, a pistol and a semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle. Winners of the raffle were going to be announced on Dec. 23. Four hundred tickets were sold for $20 each.

An attempt to reach the Police Association of Lockhart for comment was not immediately successful.

"This will be devastating to our Annual Blue Santa Program, as the $6,000 raised goes directly to the purchase of Christmas presents for the children in our community who are not as fortunate as most, as well as other charitable programs conducted by the association," the post by the police union reads. "Our deep commitment to our community will not be deterred by these events and we are asking for your assistance in ensuring that our Blue Santa Program is still successful."

In a press release sent on Tuesday, the Caldwell/Hays Examiner said the types of rifles up for auction had been used in various mass shootings. According to the Violence Policy Center, the Smith & Wesson M&P15 — which was the top prize of the raffle — was used in the mass shootings at Parkland High School; Aurora, Colorado; and San Bernardino, California.