The Minnesota Gun Owners Political Action Committee has offered to pay for firearms training for Democratic congressman Rick Nolan at the chain of retail stores owned by the family of his Republican opponent, Stewart Mills.
The offer came in response to a picture posted to Twitter on Wednesday showing the congressman holding an AR-15 rile with his finger on the trigger while flanked by supporters.
Bryan Strawser, executive director of the Minnesota Gun Owners PAC, said Nolan's actions were "unsafe and dangerous."
"The basic rules of firearms safety, taught to students as young as 12 … state clearly that one's finger should be kept off the trigger until ready to shoot," Strawser said.
Gun rights have emerged as a key issue in the Eighth Congressional District race. Mills released a campaign ad this summer that claimed Nolan is among the politicians who "have no respect for the Second Amendment."
Nolan earned an F rating from the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund, but the organization dismissed Mills' ad as a "big lie, smear tactic."
Nolan aides said the congressman declined to comment on Strawser's offer to buy firearms training for Nolan at the Mills Fleet Farm Indoor Shooting location in Baxter, Minn.
