I know it has been more than 20 years (1998) since the mass murder at Jonesboro Westside Middle School (five killed) and that the weapons used were not AR15s, but given this was the worse mass school shooting up to that time (until Columbine a year later) you would think the band boosters at Jonesboro would be a little more sensitive and thoughtful given the common public association of AR15s with mass homicides. What are these people thinking?
you fall off the horse, you get right back on it I guess. Personally I don't think there's anything wrong with the auction PROVIDING the winner has a very...very....thorough background check just as there should be for any potential weapons purchaser. Bottom line if you (the band boosters) know that what you do is legal and in good faith you shouldn't have to be dissuaded by the "optics" and whether people will be offended. These days everything everybody does will offend somebody to some degree. Everything is controversial! This applies to the left, the right, and those in between or even completely apolitical. You just have to live your life, period. Mob rule is not the law of the land - the law of the land is the law of the land. Mobs will come and go, ebb and swell as situations change. Laws (for better or worse) are a bit more stable.
What's a "band booster"? (I could google but admitting your ignorance is apparently an attractive trait)
"boosters" are people in the community who support a particular school program. Many sports teams often feature a "booster club" that raises money for the program. Some booster clubs at large schools (and universities) kick in large amounts of extra money for the head coach. When I was in high school the football teams booster club paid for the team to go to Dallas each season to see a Cowboys game The band boosters at Jonesboro are raising money to send the band members to Orlando.
