Firing up and ready to go: Jennings raises funds with shoot-out

J.B. Jennings invitation to fundraisder at shooting range.

Published Friday afternoon.

If betting on the Preakness ponies and getting sloshed in the Pimlico infield has little appeal, Republican Sen. J.B. Jennings is offering a bang-up alternative Saturday afternoon.

At the Freestate Gun Range in Middle River, for a contribution to Jennings’ campaign you can have your picture taken with National Rifle Association President David Keene and then pick up your weapon of choice for shooting practice.

A $50 ticket includes the “opportunity to shoot 25 rounds from a variety of handguns, including .22, 9mm, .40 and .45 calibers,” says the invitation. Sorry, no photo with the NRA prez.

A $100 ticket gets you the picture plus the chance “to shoot a rare .30 carbine mini anti-aircraft Gatling gun”; $250 gives you a “choice to shoot a Desert Eagle .50 caliber or a Taurus Raging Bull 454 Casull.” And a $500 sponsorship entitles you to the photo and the “opportunity to shoot a selection of fully automatic rifles.”

And there’s lunch before you hit the shooting range.

Desert Eagle .50 semi-automatic pistol

Desert Eagle .50 semi-automatic pistol. (Photo by DWissman/Flickr)

(The Desert Eagle is one of the most powerful semi-automatics around, as this video shows.)

The gun-toting fundraiser may not stir up as much controversy as the Beretta pistol raffled by the Carroll County Republican Central Committee 12 years ago, including a rebuke from then-Congressman Bob Ehrlich. But it may provide a bit of distraction from the pot stirred this week by the racial remarks on Baltimore City gangs by fellow District 7 lawmaker, Del. Pat McDonough.

–Len Lazarick

[email protected]