Sheriff’s Station Draws Fire for Raffling Gun

This year, organizers of the annual holiday fund-raising raffle at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Lennox station have come up with a grand prize that will help the winner get the new century off to a bang: a gleaming new 9-millimeter Beretta handgun.

At just $1 a ticket, the chance to pick up one of the powerful semiautomatic pistols that have become American law enforcement’s sidearm of choice has made the contest a hit with deputies and the public.

But even though sheriff’s officials say the winner will undergo a background check before claiming the gun, the giveaway has angered gun control advocates and some members of the department, whose leader, Sheriff Lee Baca, has become an outspoken advocate of stricter gun control laws. Or the winner can take cash.

On Tuesday, Baca said he was unaware of the prize offer and would consider adopting a policy that would limit participation in such raffles to law enforcement personnel.

“I want to make sure we are not sending mixed messages,” Baca said. “I don’t want us to be viewed as a source for weapons. . . . Purchasing a raffle ticket for the sake of raising funds should be done by sworn people. Let the general public find their guns elsewhere.”

Baca said that in this instance he would require a trigger lock to be placed on the weapon.

In recent years, it has become increasingly common for police agencies to raffle off guns--and other law enforcement gear--to raise money for their departments. Although sheriff’s officials estimate that the majority of ticket buyers are law enforcement officers, members of the public usually are not precluded from participating in the contests.

“In most instances like this, 95% of the tickets are sold to law enforcement,” said Capt. Doyle Campbell, a department spokesman. “It’s mostly an internal thing. . . . The tag that brings in law enforcement is a chance to win a Beretta. It’s not a big deal.”

But gun control advocates said such prizes should be banned.

“Whatever happened to hams and turkeys and lawn mowers as prizes?” said Ben Bycel, the executive director of Women Against Gun Violence. “Offering a gun that is basically a powerful concealed weapon makes no sense at all. It sends a mixed message to the public at large.”

The Lennox deputies are hoping to raise $4,000 to $5,000 to pay for their participation in an annual law enforcement relay race between Baker, Calif., and Las Vegas.

The raffle tickets are being distributed throughout the Lennox station’s district, which includes Lawndale and unincorporated areas around Inglewood and Hawthorne. Campbell said he is unsure how many tickets have been sold so far for the drawing, which will be held Feb. 16. At least one member of the public reported buying a ticket at a coin laundry.

Campbell said the contest winner will be given the option of taking the handgun or a $500 cash prize. If the gun is chosen, the winner will be given money to purchase the Beretta from a Long Beach gun store that does business with the Sheriff’s Department. The store will conduct the state-required background check before releasing the weapon.

“There’s the same waiting period,” Campbell said. “Nothing is skirted in this instance. We are not just giving the gun away.”

Although Campbell defended the contest, other department members said the sheriff should adopt a policy regulating such fund-raisers.

“Given today’s climate, it would be appropriate if it was limited to law enforcement,” said one department official, who asked not to be identified.

In recent months, Baca has been pushing for tougher laws on gun control. At a news conference in August, Baca and Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard C. Parks joined a majority of the Board of Supervisors in supporting an ordinance banning the sale of guns and ammunition on all Los Angeles County-owned property. “L.A. County is not a frontier county anymore,” Baca said at the time.

He also serves on the advisory board for Women Against Gun Violence.

“He has been completely outspoken on the issue of gun violence,” said Bycel, the group’s executive director. “You really can’t have it both ways. Either you are trying to prevent gun violence or you are not.”

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Times staff writer Larry Harnisch contributed to this story.