Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, is offering the opportunity to grab a free AR-15 "before Obama does." The winner of the freshman congressman's semiautomatic sweepstakes will be selected July 4.

A Tuesday email circulated by Stockman's campaign organization urged readers to promptly register for the raffle before midnight Wednesday, warning that President Barack Obama plans to rescind the Second Amendment.

"An AR-15 muzzle flash is the new torch of liberty," the email attributed to Stockman says. "It's your chance to drive Obama crazy and light a fire for liberty with every trigger pull."

AR-15-style guns are currently among the most popular rifles in the country, The New York Times reported in February. Bushmaster models sell for between $800 and $1,200, according to the company.

A man holds a Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

"Obama would love to grab my Bushmaster AR-15 and have it cut into pieces, along with every other gun in America. Well, I won't let it happen," Stockman says. "I want to give my Bushmaster AR-15 to you."

Stockman's eyebrow-raising giveaway was announced in May. The publicity stunt is perfectly legal and likely an excellent way for Stockman to introduce himself to conservative activists and raise money. After registering for the gun contest, supporters are prompted for a donation.

Some of the claims Stockman uses to promote his contest may not hold water.

"Make no mistake. Obama wants to repeal the Second Amendment, even if it means goon squad regulations," Stockman said in the last-minute pitch. "Deep down Obama would love nothing more than to confiscate every gun in America and imprison every gun owner."

Obama, however, says he supports the Second Amendment. "I believe in the Second Amendment. It does provide for Americans the right to bear arms for their protection, for their safety, for hunting, for a wide range of uses," Obama said during a March 2011 press conference.

AR-15-style weapons received bad press following the July 2012 Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting and the elementary school massacre five months later in Newtown, Conn. New federal-level gun control proposals failed to pass the U.S. Senate earlier this year and are even less likely to pass in the Republican-controlled House.

Stockman has been a congressional freshman twice, winning election to a two-year term in 1994 before his November election to represent Texas' 36th Congressional District in eastern Texas.

Watch a video of Stockman's interns using the gun: