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GOP Candidate's Original Contest Post Shot Down by Facebook

Facebook pulled a post about the contest showing the rifle for "promoting graphic violence"

A contest to give away a semi-automatic rifle is still on despite the original post being taken down by Facebook.

Greg Evers, who's running in the Republican primary for the open seat in Florida's 1st Congressional District, announced Monday he's giving away a "Homeland Defender" AR-15 rifle on July 4. But Monday night, Facebook pulled a post about the contest showing the rifle for "promoting graphic violence."

The Evers campaign says someone based in California reported the post. Campaign spokesman Brian Burgess said they had anticipated someone would object and that all contest entries have been saved. Anyone in Evers' district can still enter by liking Evers' Facebook page or by liking and sharing one of Evers' posts.

Burgess said the original post had more than 1,100 likes and nearly 900 shares.

Evers announced the giveaway barely a week after a shooting at a gay nightclub killed 49 people in Orlando, which is about a five-hour drive from the Florida Panhandle congressional district Evers seeks to represent.

"With terrorism incidents on the rise, both at home and abroad, protecting our constitutional rights has never been more important," Evers said. "With all that's happening in the world today, I've never felt stronger about the importance of the second amendment in protecting our homeland than I do now."

Evers has served in the Florida Legislature since 2001, including the Senate the past six years. The National Rifle Association has given him an A-plus grade for the past 15 years

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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