"It doesn't seem right that we are using guns to raise money so they can play football," Diaz said.
The money from the sale of the $10 raffle tickets will go to the Greenwood-Newport Midget Football Association, which puts on games with children ages 5 to 13.
Pat Dorman, the association vice president, said she didn't see a problem with a rifle as an attention-getting prize.
"People hunt; guns are not just used for violence," said Dorman. "We want to attract the people to buying the tickets."
Winners can receive cash if they don't want a rifle. Ticket holders must be 18 to win a rifle, and receive it through a participating gun store that satisfies all legal requirements including background checks, she said.
It is legal for children to sell tickets for a gun raffle. But children can't win the rifle or present it to the winner, Perry County District Attorney Charles Chenot said.
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Information from: The Patriot-News, http://www.pennlive.com/patriotnews