LENEXA, Kan (AP) —About 175 people attended a fundraiser for conservative Republican Kris Kobach’s campaign for Kansas governor with rocker and gun-rights provocateur Ted Nugent as dozens of people protested outside.

Kobach and Nugent raffled off an AR-15 rifle during their event at a Kansas City-area community center. A similar weapon was used in a deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school in February.

Great event kicking off with @TedNugent in Lenexa today. We’re talking about the Jeep and the Second Amendment! #2A #ksleg #ksgov #TeamKobach pic.twitter.com/e14mKds0zX

— Kris W. Kobach (@KrisKobach1787) June 23, 2018

Kobach said Nugent is the nation’s best-known gun rights advocate. Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, is trying to unseat Gov. Jeff Colyer in the Aug. 7 primary.

Kobach rides in parades in a jeep with a replica machine gun on the back despite ongoing criticism.

I will be riding in a few parades this weekend in the trusty Jeep. I’m not backing down. #ksleg #TeamKobach pic.twitter.com/RC5At69VAC

— Kris W. Kobach (@KrisKobach1787) June 9, 2018

He told a crowd in Salina earlier: “I don’t back down. I double down.”