Joe Carr latest Republican to organize AR-15 giveaway

The AR-15 is becoming a popular item to give away in Tennessee Republican politics this summer.

Former state Rep. Joe Carr, who’s in an uphill primary race against U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tennessee, announced on Thursday that he will hold a drawing for the semi-automatic rifle at an event called  “2nd Amendment is Homeland Security” that conservative radio talk show host Ralph Bristol is hosting July 2 in Mt. Juliet.

His gun giveaway comes two weeks after state Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, received numerous headlines — including national attention — when he revealed plans to give away an AR-15 at his inaugural "Hog Fest and Turkey Shoot," which is set for Saturday.

Carr’s announcement also comes just one day after Black, who has represented Tennessee’s 6th congressional district since 2011, received the highly coveted endorsement of the National Rifle Association.

“We are one administration away from losing our Second Amendment rights,” the tea party-aligned Carr said in a statement, pointing to the Supreme Court’s decision announced on Monday to decline to take up Connecticut’s recent ban on a long list of firearms the state classified as “assault weapons.”

“While the current administration, Hillary Clinton and those on the left continue to disarm America, I will not sit quietly,” he said. “And that is why I am featuring our Elite Arms AR-15 drawing.”

Attendees will have to pass a gun background check in order to enter the drawing, according to the Carr campaign.

Carr, a former three-term state representative from Rutherford County, fell 9 percentage points short in his GOP primary bid against U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander two years ago.

Both Holt's and Carr's AR-15 giveaways have followed a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., that killed 49 people and wounded 53.

The shooter used two weapons in the massacre: a Sig Sauer MCX .223-caliber rifle — which uses an AR-15-style magazine and ammunition —and a Glock 17 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

Though Carr didn’t win the NRA endorsement in his primary race, a news release announcing Carr’s AR-15 drawing says that he is a lifetime member of the Tennessee Firearms Association.

Tennessee’s state primary elections are set for Aug. 4. Early voting begins on July 17.

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.