Police Chief Allegedly Skips the Gun Raffle and Takes Home the Prize

I'm not much of a gambler, but I have to admit that I'm a sucker for a gun raffle, especially when the money raised goes to a good cause. In fact, I just purchased a few more tickets for the Core Medical Foundation raffle that has some stellar guns up for grabs. 

Apparently, the police chief in Quitman, Georgia isn't much of a gambler either. According to authorities, when a handgun was donated to the department earlier this year to be used for an upcoming raffle, Chief Lawrence McGee decided that instead of buying tickets and getting the chance to win the handgun, he'd just go ahead and keep it himself.

The GBI said it has arrested and charged Quitman Police Chief Lawrence McGee, 44, of Quitman, with one count of felony theft by taking and one count of violation of oath of office.

On Feb. 3, 2026, the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office asked the GBI to investigate a theft allegation involving McGee. Preliminary information indicates that in January 2026, the Quitman Police Department received a donated handgun intended for use in a raffle for a regional traffic enforcement meeting, but McGee kept the gun for himself and never included it in the raffle.

If these allegations are accurate, then McGee has probably ended his career in law enforcement in one of the dumbest ways possible. Violation of oath of office is also a felony offense in Georgia, so if the chief is convicted of one or both of these crimes he could be sent to prison... and lose his ability to lawfully possess any firearm going forward. 

The GBI hasn't revealed any details about the handgun in question, but it must be pretty special if McGee was allegedly willing to risk his career and his freedom over it. Or maybe he just figured that as police chief, he could do whatever he wanted with a gun donated to his department.

Whatever the motivation, if the allegations are true, McGee made a bad decision of epic proportions. Not only did he allegedly steal a gun, he did so in a way that was almost guaranteed to be discovered. It's not like the folks organizing the raffle were going to forget about the prize, or that the person who donated the handgun wouldn't eventually wonder what happened to it.

This incident would be comical if it weren't for the fact that the underlying allegations are no laughing matter. Police officers are entrusted with an enormous amount of authority, including the power to arrest people and deprive them of their freedom. That authority comes with a responsibility to obey the same laws they're sworn to enforce, and police chiefs should be setting the example for everyone under their command. Sure, police are routinely exempt from gun control laws, but I'm not aware of any state that allows them to keep property that doesn't belong to them. 

If McGee is guilty, he didn't just betray the trust of the person who donated the gun or the people who were supposed to have a chance to win it. He betrayed the trust of the community he was hired to serve.

Now, McGee deserves the presumption of innocence, and prosecutors will have to prove their case. But if they do, I hope the consequences are just as serious as they'd be for anyone else caught stealing a gun. 

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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