This isn’t your typical backyard barbecue fundraiser.
Republican congressional candidate Ilario Pantano will hold a pistol match Sunday afternoon at the Ant Hill Range in Brunswick County to raise money for his campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-Lumberton.
For $25, “any patriot” who thinks he can outshoot Pantano is invited to show off his marksmanship in a timed target-shooting challenge, according to ads for the event.
Shoot fast and straight enough to beat the former Marine and trained sniper and get your money back.
“Pantano needs your help to fix Washington, so come on out to this fundraiser social for an afternoon of fun, food and guns!” according to an advertisement for the event.
Pantano is advertising the event as a way to protect the Second Amendment and “clear all the anti-gun liberals out of Congress.”
Registration starts at 11 a.m., with the shooting starting shortly after noon. Shooters can sign up at the event and must bring their own gun and ammunition.
McIntyre’s campaign declined to comment on the fundraiser, other than to point out that McIntyre has the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. In a recent news release, McIntyre said the NRA gave him an “A” rating for his consistent record of preserving the rights of gun owners. He is also a member of the Second Amendment Task Force, which was created to monitor related legislation in the U.S. House.
The fundraiser is an effort by Pantano to add to his war chest and bring attention to his campaign with a couple of weeks remaining before the election. McIntyre and Pantano hope to represent North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District, which includes all or parts of 10 Southeastern North Carolina counties.
Pantano, according to the latest campaign finance reports, raised about $468,000 in the third quarter, bringing his total receipts during the election cycle to more than $792,000. He had spent about $670,000 through Sept. 30, according to online records at the Federal Election Commission’s Web site, fec.gov.
As of Sept. 30, Pantano had a balance of about $117,000 in his campaign account.
McIntyre raised more than $263,000 in the third quarter, and more than $990,000 since the start of 2009. He has spent more than $1 million on the race. With money left over from the previous election cycle, McIntyre still had about $486,000 on hand as of Sept. 30.
Pantano isn’t the only N.C. congressional candidate to mix guns and politics this year. Tim D’Annunzio, a Republican who lost his primary bid for the 8th Congressional District, held a couple of “machine gun socials,” where supporters paid $25 to shoot machine guns.
Joe Moran, executive member at Ant Hill Range, said he expected 50 to 60 participants at the Pantano event, but that the range could accommodate 100.
Pantano held a similar event there before the May primary, and about 35 shooters participated, he said.
Was Pantano a good shot?
“Yeah, he was,” Moran said. “I beat him on the last match by about a half a second, but he beat everybody else there.”
