Lawmaker gets threats for AR-15 giveaway

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee lawmaker says his office has received threats for planning to give away the same type of semi-automatic rifle used by a gunman in the massacre of 49 people at an Orlando nightclub.

Republican state Rep. Andy Holt is a staunch gun rights supporter. Before the shootings happened, he had offered the AR-15 as a door prize at a fundraiser scheduled for later this month. When he
was heavily criticized following Sunday’s shootings, he said he would give away a second one as well.

State Democratic Party Chair Mary Mancini on Monday remarked that the winner of the raffle could be “the next mass shooter.”

Holt said his office was contacted repeatedly by an anonymous caller who said he was armed and threatened to pay him a visit.