For the past few years, a Mancos High School alumnus and local rancher has held a community drawing for a rifle to benefit the Mancos High School football team, but the fundraiser may not be in compliance with state raffle licensing laws.
Vance Koppenhafer of Kopp Ranch in Mancos estimated he has held the drawing for the past four or five years, because his kids have played football for the team and he himself is a Mancos High graduate.
“I went to school there. I have cousins that went to school there. We support the athletic program,” Koppenhafer said. “I’ve gotten donations from people all over.”
He has sponsored the drawing at least since 2012, when he raffled a Savage .17 HMR rifle with scope. Koppenhafer skipped the 2014-15 school year, he said, because he did not have a child on the team. The caliber of the raffled weapon depends on what Koppenhafer decides to purchase, but he said it is a hunting firearm of some kind, because Mancos is home to a lot of hunters.
This year’s drawing was held last month at the football team’s last home game, Koppenhafer said. As in previous years, a $5 donation is suggested, but some local businesses have given much more, or chosen to donate but don’t want a ticket.
Mancos School District Re-6 Superintendent Brian Hanson said Koppenhafer raffles the firearm as a private citizen and donates proceeds to the football team. No school team or program hosts such a fundraiser, nor does the school publicize it, he said.
“We wouldn’t do that as a school because A, we don’t have a raffle license and B, I’m not sure that would be appropriate,” Hanson said. “Since we don’t have a raffle license, we couldn’t even raffle a bike if we wanted to, but this is a private citizen.”
But according to Colorado state law, a private individual is not authorized to hold a raffle, either. Individuals and for-profit organizations cannot hold raffles; only registered nonprofits that have been in existence for at least five years are eligible to apply for a raffle license. Secretary of State official Lisa Marty said a raffle “requires payment to get into a random drawing to get something.”
Because of state and federal law, the high school students are not eligible to win the gun, school officials and Koppenhafer assured. Drawing entrants must be 21 or older and pass a background check conducted by Shooters World in Cortez in compliance with Colorado law, which takes federal law a step further and mandates both federally licensed and private sellers to initiate background checks.
Shandra Minor at Shooters World said the background checks involve a series of in-depth questioning, and all new gun owners are required to provide their personal information.
Koppenhaffer said he recalls the grandfather of a student once scoring the gun, but students themselves cannot win the firearm.
“My ranch sponsors it, and alumni from Mancos High put it on,” Koppenhafer said. “We do encourage the kids to get their grandparents and parents involved if they want tickets or think they can sell some.”
Mancos High football coach Bill Parsons did not respond to questions about the drawing.
Koppenhafer had no estimate of how many participate, but the drawing has previously raised more than $1,500 in one year for the school’s athletic department.
“(The amount) has varied greatly,” Koppenhafer said. “We encourage the football program to buy weight lifting equipment or something like that, which will also benefit other teams.”
But the problem for one anonymous Mancos resident who contacted The Durango Herald is not the licensing, but rather the appropriateness of a gun giveaway given the incidents of violence in schools across the country.
“I’m against that in light of school shootings,” she said. “But no one says anything about this or questions the morality of it. I just think it’s distasteful.”
Asked about the propriety of the drawing, Koppenhafer said he has never heard complaints over the years, and that the background check procedures are in compliance with the law.
“Winners have to pass a background check and pay for the transfer of the gun,” Koppenhafer said.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” he added. “We’ve never had anyone complain. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been one person even question it.”
jpace@durangoherald.com