North Carolina sheriff cancels re-election firearms raffle

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A North Carolina sheriff has cancelled a re-election campaign firearms raffle that was to include the type of assault rifle used in Wednesday’s Florida high school shooting.

Local media outlets report Mecklenburg County Sheriff Irwin Carmichael had scheduled the event for Saturday. A tweet featured a picture of 15 handguns and long guns, including three semi-automatic assault-style rifles. Raffle tickets were $50 each or three for $100.

In a statement on Thursday, Carmichael said in light of what happened and out of respect for families affected by the shooting, Saturday’s gun raffle has been cancelled. On Thursday, a tweet and a Facebook post announcing the raffle had been taken down.

Carmichael told WSOC-TV in Charlotte last year that such raffles are effective fundraisers.