AZ/DC

Kelli Ward now OK with raising the age to buy a gun. In 2016, she gave away an AR-15

Dan Nowicki
The Republic | azcentral.com
Kelli Ward speaks to the press at the Embassy Suites on February 16, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona/

Two years after encouraging anyone 18 or older to participate in a contest to win a free AR-15, Senate candidate Kelli Ward supports raising the age to buy a gun to 21.

Ward, a Republican running in Arizona's Aug. 28 U.S. Senate primary, told CNN this week that she is "not opposed to increasing the age to purchase a firearm," one of the reforms being debated in the days following the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead.

Despite opposition from the National Rifle Association, President Donald Trump likes the idea of raising the minimum age for gun purchases, saying Thursday that "we're going to work on getting the age up to 21 instead of 18."

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, announced Wednesday via Twitter that he and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, were working on a bipartisan bill that would "raise the minimum purchase age (for an AR-15) for non-military buyers from 18 to 21."

And on Friday, Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott endorsed the idea of raising the gun-buying age to 21 as part of a plan for his state that also includes banning the purchase or sale of bump stocks, which allow a shooter to fire a semi-automatic gun faster.

The minimum legal age to buy a handgun already is 21, but an 18-year-old can buy a rifle.

"I think we've got to get beyond political risk and actually start taking care of our kids and making sure they're safe at our schools, making sure that we're addressing those mental health issues that do exist," Ward told CNN when asked about the political consequence of getting crosswise with the powerful gun lobby.

It was a new tone for Ward, who during her unsuccessful 2016 GOP primary challenge to incumbent Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, promoted a campaign-related contest to give away a custom "Kelli Ward" AR-15 rifle that retailed for $1,500.

The AR-15 drawing generated publicity and campaign contributions for Ward.

The February 2016 contest rules said U.S. citizens or residents 18 or older "or age of majority under applicable law" were eligible to win the gun so long as they were legally allowed to own and possess a gun and "able to pass a legally compliant background check to gain possession of a firearm."

In a Feb. 5, 2016, Facebook post, Ward shared her campaign's AR-15 giveaway with  Students for Self-Defense at ASU. The student group, according to its Facebook page, opposes "the unconstitutional and reprehensible policy of weapon prohibition on Arizona State University's campuses."

Ward wrote to the ASU students: "If you agree that we ought to protect and defend the Second Amendment, then sign up today to be entered to win a custom Kelli Ward AR-15 — proudly Made in the USA!"

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RTT Firearms, which made the prize Kelli Ward Signature AR-15, announced on March 1, 2016, that John Higley of Cottonwood was the lucky winner.

The Arizona Republic asked Ward's 2018 campaign if she had any regrets or second thoughts about the 2016 AR-15 drawing in light of her new openness to changing the minimum gun-buying age.

“Dr. Ward is open to looking at various ways to end these horrific attacks, including some measures that may limit access to firearms," said Zachery Henry, Ward's campaign press secretary. "However, as a physician, she understands underlying mental health issues are often the root of the problem and they must be addressed better. She remains a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights and has no regrets about any past activities."

In her CNN interview, conducted while Ward was in the Washington, D.C., area for the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, Ward touted her gun-rights bona fides. 

"I have an A+ rating with the NRA and I'm a life member myself, and so if there's anybody that's going to be out there fighting for our state to maintain our Second Amendment rights, it's me, Dr. Kelli Ward," she said.

Ward, a former state senator from Lake Havasu City, is competing for the Republican Senate nomination against U.S. Rep. Martha McSally of Tucson and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Flake is not seeking re-election.

Nowicki is The Republic's national political reporter. Follow him on Twitter, @dannowicki.

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