State Sen. Greg Evers, running in a crowded Republican primary for a Northwest Florida congressional seat, will hold a fund-raising event where donors can pay up to $2,700 for a chance to shoot a variety of military-style machine guns, according to a news release issued Wednesday.
Evers, a Baker Republican, will also give a prize to the shooter who “kills” Osama bin Laden, the release said.
Evers drew heat last month over his decision to give away an AR-15 assault rifle, similar to a gun used in the Orlando nightclub attack that left 49 people dead and dozens more injured.
“Since some folks don’t understand the difference between an AR-15 and a real assault rifle capable of automatic fire, we’re going to show them,” Evers said in the news release. “I think people will get a big kick out of seeing what a real assault rifle can do, and they’ll have even more fun shooting up simulated terrorists.”
Evers, who frequently sponsored National Rifle Association-backed legislation, will hold the event — which will feature six fully automatic machine guns, including two military-grade M-16 assault rifles and four varieties of submachine guns — at the Pensacola Indoor Shooting Range on July 23.
According to the press release, the weapons are “extremely restricted,” but it is legal to fire them on a supervised gun range.
Evers is among the candidates in Congressional District 1, which became open when longtime U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller announced he would not seek re-election this year.