GOP assailed for gun raffle in Giffords' Ariz. district

— -- Democrats and gun-control advocates condemned a Pima County Republican Party plan to raffle off the same brand of gun used in the Tucson shooting rampage that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.

The GOP in Giffords' home district is "showing a shocking lack of judgment and sensitivity," Jeff Rogers, chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party, said Thursday. "The wounds are still healing (from the shooting), and this is like pulling a scab off a wound."

Caroline Brewer, spokeswoman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said it doesn't matter that it is legal to raffle a gun. "Where is their moral compass? It boggles the mind," she said. "This is insensitive to Rep. Giffords and all the families in Tucson involved in the shooting."

The Pima County Republican Party is asking for $10 per ticket for a chance to win a Glock 23. The party is selling 125 tickets, and the gun is the prize for helping the party get out the vote. The news of the raffle was first reported by the Huffington Post.

Interim party Chairman Mike Shaw sees nothing inappropriate, the Associated Press reported. Shaw said that past gun raffles have been effective fundraisers and that responsible gun ownership is a constitutional right.

The Glock 23 is a version of the Glock 19 used in the Jan. 8 shooting rampage, which left six people dead and wounded 13 others. Giffords, who was shot in the head, was meeting with constituents at a Tucson grocery store.

Also Thursday, the Federal Election Commission approved Giffords' request to use campaign funds for improved security at her home in Houston, where she has been undergoing therapy. The U.S. Capitol Police recommended the changes, which include better exterior lighting, improved locks and an alarm button. The security improvements are estimated to cost about $2,200. The FEC previously has given Reps. Lee Terry, R-Neb., and Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., permission to use campaign funds for increased security.