Pastor Who Will Destroy Weapon Won't Be Charged

The pastor from Lake Oswego who spent $3,000 on auction tickets in a successful attempt to win an automatic weapon so that he could have it destroyed, will be able to proceed as planned.

Reverend Jeremy Lucas from the Christ Church Episcopal Church in Lake Oswego was being investigated by the Oregon State Police for allegedly giving the gun to someone for safekeeping without having conducted a background check.

"The case was referred to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office for review who advised OSP that they would not pursue criminal charges," State Police Spokesman Captain Bill Fugate said.

District Attorney John Foote said that despite the fact Reverend Lucas had said he had given the gun to someone to hold, that was not enough to bring charges.

"None of the witnesses nor documentary evidence obtained by Oregon State Police prove that an actual 'transfer' occurred," said Foote. "The suspect’s statement to the media that he gave it to someone for safe keeping is insufficient to prove that it did happen."

Lucas generated headlines when he won the weapon, announcing it would be destroyed.

"No one will ever hold a moment of silence because this gun has done that thing," he told a reporter after he won. "And that made me pretty happy."

The gun had been auctioned by a kids' softball team raising money to compete at a tournament in California.

Lucas didn't necessarily think he would win, but he wanted to try to make sure the gun was never used in a crime. At the least, he wanted to help the softball team conducting the auction.

The team — the Oregon Big League Girls' All Star Softball Team, which is made up of players from Centennial, Gresham and Milwaukie high schools — was looking to raise money so it could fly to California and represent Oregon at the West Regional Tournament. Willamette Week first reported the news of the raffle.

After winning the gun, Lucas turned it over to a parishioner, someone he described as a responsible gun owner with a gun safe, to hold on to it while he figured out how to have it destroyed.

The problem was that Oregon law says that he had to do a background check on the parishioner.

If charges had been brought, and he were convicted, Lucas could have been fined $6,250 and be sentenced to a year in jail.

A former lawyer in Alabama — he was born and raised in Birmingham — Lucas practiced in the state and federal courts, devoting much of his time to pro bono work preventing violence to humans and animals. In 2000, he was the lead author for Alabama's first Felony Animal Cruelty bill, which was signed into law later that year.

In 2001, needing a change, he moved to New York City to enroll in the General Theological Seminary. His first day in New York was September 11th.

Before arriving in Oregon, Lucas served in Athens, Alabama, Namibia and North Clark County, Washington.

As of now, there are no indications that Lucas has any regrets.

Soon after the investigation was announced, he wrote on Facebook, referencing a shooting in Seattle that was done with a similar weapon:

"If anyone thinks I'm sorry about spending $3000 to take an AR-15 off the streets and out of our society, think again," he wrote in the caption.

Last week, Reverend Lucas wrote on Twitter that the gun will be made into garden tools.

Photo courtesy of Christ Church Episcopal Parish