Multnomah County Republicans are hoping to raise money to pay rent and support candidates in a way that has worked for them before: an AR-15 "Rifle Raffle."

"It's the most popular one that people buy tickets for," Frank Martin, who runs the raffle for the group, said over the phone Tuesday morning.

Martin said the party has tried to do fundraiser raffles with other guns, including pistols and a "defense shotgun," but none has inspired so many people to donate as the raffles they do for the popular assault-style civilian rifle, the AR-15.

Though the drawing isn't until Dec. 4, Martin said he's already started selling tickets. The gun is with the dealer that the party purchased the weapon from, and the winner will need to be at least 21 years old and pass a background check.

"I would not allow a weapon to go to a person that wasn't qualified to buy it," Martin said.

The party will sell a maximum of 500 tickets.

"We do support the second amendment," Martin added, "and it's just one of the tools we use to raise money."

During the 2016 Presidential Election, Multnomah County was the bluest county in the Oregon. Hillary Clinton won 73.7 percent of the county's votes.

AR-15 raffles are a controversial and sometimes quite successful way to raise money. In the summer of 2016, a Lake Oswego pastor spent $3,000 to win a raffle for a similar weapon put on by a softball league. His goal was to buy the weapon, a style frequently associated with mass shootings, and keep it off the streets.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker