Is it improper for schools to benefit from gun raffles?
According to the K-12 School Shooting Database there have been more than 1,100 school shootings since 2021 in the United States. Yet, more and more schools are using these raffles as fundraisers. The number one killer of children ages 1 to 17 in the United States is firearms. Not car wrecks. Not disease. Firearms. We are looking to profit from our kids biggest killer. Recently, my alma matter, Tuscarawas Central Catholic, announced its first 30-gun raffle to benefit the football team. The group holding the raffle is, according to the school and the Diocese of Columbus, not affiliated with the school. The group, started by a current TCC coach, is named The Art Teynor Memorial Fund. Art Teynor was the long time Hall of Fame Coach who dedicated his coaching career to TCC. Coach Teynor’s grandson, Christopher Doutt, said “My Grandfather, in the nation’s current state would have never approved of this. And frankly if the nation weren’t at this point, he still wouldn’t have approved.”
According to the Art Teynor Memorial Fund Facebook page, the sole purpose is to support TCC football and all things Saints athletics. Yet, TCC and the Diocese insist that the group doing the raffle is not associated with TCC. Of course, the school and the diocese could refuse to accept the money.
I know raising money for private schools is difficult. As a Catholic School, we have relied on gambling and the sale of alcohol to raise money for decades; a sore subject for many but also seen as necessary. But now, we are willing to accept money from the sale of the number one killer of our students. Is this crossing the line?
This affects every Catholic School in the diocese. If you agree, please contact the Diocese of Columbus with your concern.
Ed Mason, Dover
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Letter to the editor: Should we support gun raffles that benefit school programs?
Reporting by The Times-Reporter / The Times-Reporter
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