Official defends fundraiser at shooting range
Two days after the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander announced a campaign fundraiser next week at a Brookfield indoor shooting range in support of her “hitting the target” by getting re-elected.
“Multiple firearms will be available and whether you are experienced or a beginner, trainers and safety officers will be available to assist you in learning about the range, firearm safety, and providing tutorials on shooting and target techniques,” Alexander wrote
on Facebook about the Oct. 14 event at the Wisconsin Firearms Training Center.
Donors are encouraged to give up to $1,045 to attend the event. Alexander suggests a minimum donation of $75. State Rep. Dale Kooyenga, a Brookfield Republican, is the special guest. One notice about the fundraiser went up Tuesday morning.
Leaders of the liberal Wisconsin Working Families Party called on the conservative supervisor to cancel the event.
Rebecca Lynch, political director for the group, said it showed “poor judgment” for Alexander to post the fundraiser on one of her Facebook pages Tuesday.
On Sunday night, gunman Stephen
Paddock killed at least 59 people and injured more than 500 others while firing on them from a nearby hotel as they attended a country music festival in Las Vegas. “To honor the lives violently taken in Las Vegas and every day in our country, Wisconsin Working Families calls on Supervisor Alexander to cancel her event and commit instead to meeting with Milwaukee families affected by gun violence,” Lynch said in a statement. Alexander is not backing down. She suggested that Lynch’s group is the one that’s out of line.
“Their politicizing of the Las Vegas tragedy to deter law-abiding citizens from learning more about the safe and responsible use of firearms is divisive and disrespectful,” Alexander said.
While she did post about the event on one of her three Facebook pages on Tuesday, it appears she announced the event on other forums over the past couple of weeks.
The fundraiser is tabbed as the launch of Alexander’s re-election campaign. Alexander, who has been mentioned as a candidate for the state Legislature, was elected to a second term last year.