The honor guard of the police department in Las Vegas has raffled off two rifles engraved with the "Vegas Strong" phrase.
Police spokesman officer Jay Rivera tells the Las Vegas Sun the rifles were among the prizes of a fundraiser. Baseball tickets and wine certificates were also among the prizes.
The "Vegas Strong" phrase became a rallying cry in the city after a gunman killed 58 people and injured hundreds more when he shattered the windows of his hotel suite and unleashed gunfire on a music festival below. He then killed himself.
Rivera says the event was planned independently of the police department. He says it's not unreasonable to raffle firearms since the event features a shooting contest.
Money raised from the event was intended to help members of the honor guard travel to Washington, D.C. to honor Officer Charleston Hartfield, who was killed in the 1 October shooting. The guard performs military-style honors during funeral services of law enforcement officers.
Capt. Richard Fletcher told 13 Action News that the "Vegas Strong" rifles weren't meant to be a "slight" against the the Las Vegas community.
"We were trying to do the right thing," said Fletcher. "We were trying to raise money for the honor guard to go back to D.C. and honor Charleston."
Fletcher also says that the event raised about $23,000 for the honor guard.
