In August 2013, he faced criticism over a joke he posted on Twitter and Facebook about a raffle for an AR-15 automatic rifle by a Maryland state senator at his reelection fund raiser. He wrote, "I don't see the need to own an assault rifle. I would find it interesting if whoever wins this raffle would get depressed and use the prize on him(or her)self." After days of a back-and-forth debate with Second Amendment advocates, the joke was removed from social media.
