BY JIM MCLEAN

Kansas congressional candidate Tyler Tannahill is sticking with his planned giveaway of rifle similar to the one used in the mass shooting at a Florida high school.

The Leavenworth Marine veteran running for the Republican nomination in the 2nd District announced the contest for an AR-15 rifle on social media the day before the Florida gunman killed at least 17 people.

“As an avid sportsman, I’m excited to announce our first AR-15 giveaway!” Tannahill said in a post on his campaign’s Facebook page the day before the carnage in Parkland, Fla. “You can earn multiple entries and no purchase is necessary to win!”

He was just as enthusiastic in a news release.

“There’s no better way to demonstrate support of our Second Amendment rights than to offer one lucky winner a sporting rifle from the campaign,” said Tannahill. “As a congressman, I’ll stand up in defense of the Second Amendment against the gun-grabbing Paul Davis Democrats.”

That set off a backlash after the shooting, with several people criticizing Tannahill for being “tone deaf,” “out of touch” and worse.

Winner of the tone deaf awards: Tyler Tannahill for Congress. Maybe don’t give away an AR-15 on your page THE DAY ONE IS USED TO KILL CHILDREN. #Shame pic.twitter.com/cbYdXb06j2

— Matthew Herbert (@HerbertMatthewJ) February 15, 2018

Tannahill responded to the shooting with a Facebook post of his own, saying that he and his wife were “heartbroken to learn of the tragedy.”

Declaring, “We can do better,” Tannahill said providing violence response training to teachers and staff could help make schools safer.

Tannahill told the Kansas City Star he wouldn’t bow to pressure and cancel the gun giveaway, the announcement of which was planned to coincide with this weekend’s Kansas Republican Convention in Wichita.

“We need to have a discussion of what can be done and throwing out comments of displeasure isn’t going to solve it,” Tannahill told the Star.

The contests rules posted on the campaign website say contestants must be at least 18 to win the AR-15 and meet all legal requirements for purchasing a firearm, including passing a federal background check.

Tannahill is one of seven announced candidates for the GOP nomination for the 2nd District seat now held by Republican Lynn Jenkins. After five terms, she isn’t running for re-election. Earlier this month he attended a so-called “Defend Our Flag” protest that included some participants driving pick-up trucks decorated with both American and confederate flags through downtown Lawrence, according to The Pitch.

Steve Watkins, of Topeka, another GOP hopeful in the 2nd District, also attended the demonstration.

The winner of the Republican primary will likely face Democrat Paul Davis in the general election. Davis, a former Kansas House minority leader, narrowly lost a 2014 bid to unseat former Gov. Sam Brownback.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) – Applebee’s has closed a Kansas City-area restaurant where two black women said they were falsely accused of not paying for meals in an earlier visit.

The Kansas City Star reports it’s unclear if the closure was directly related to the racial profiling incident because the Independence Center Mall is scheduled for a foreclosure sale Friday.

Applebee’s announced earlier this week that it fired three employees and temporarily closed the restaurant after the two women posted a video showing an employee, a police officer and a mall security guard confronting them for “dining and dashing” during a previous visit, which the women denied.

Appelbee’s spokeswoman Melissa Hart said Thursday the restaurant would be permanently closed.

Independence police also said they investigated the officer’s conduct during the incident but wouldn’t comment on the review’s findings.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Secretary of State Kris Kobach is renewing a 14-year campaign to repeal a Kansas law granting in-state tuition rates to qualifying college students who aren’t U.S. citizens.

Kobach testified Thursday on behalf of a bill that would end the benefit offered to those who graduated from an accredited Kansas high school or earned a general equivalency degree and started the process of acquiring citizenship. Kansas’ in-state tuition is about a third of the out-of-state assessment.

Kobach tells the House Higher Education Budget Committee that state law perversely incentivizes immigrants living in Kansas illegally to attend college.

Bishops leading the Kansas Catholic Conference are asking the committee to have compassion for youth who would have tuition benefits taken from them.

The bill’s hearing will continue Monday.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Troopers in Missouri say a mother made her reluctant 14-year-old daughter drive, leading to a crash that injured five people.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that Jessica Ann Dutch was charged this week with two child endangerment counts. No attorney is listed for the 40-year-old Springfield woman in online court records.

The crash report says the teen pulled into the path of an SUV in May. Two people in the SUV went to a hospital with minor injuries. Three people in the other vehicle had moderate injuries.

Court documents say Dutch told troopers she let her daughter drive to prepare her for her learner’s permit. The 14-year-old allegedly told her mother she didn’t want to drive.

The mother’s blood alcohol concentration measured 0.07 percent, just below the 0.08 percent legal limit.

SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on an outstanding warrant following a five hour standoff.

Just before 9:30p.m.Thursday, police responded to a residence in the 1100 block of SE Lime in Topeka in reference attempting to serve an arrest warrant on a known fugitive, according to Lt. Andrew Beightel.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri Senate has passed legislation allowing the state’s largest electric companies to recoup more of their costs for infrastructure improvements from their customers.

The Senate’s 25-6 vote Thursday sends the bill to the House, where opponents who fear it will lead to higher utility rates plan to push for additional changes.

The bill affects about 2 million customers of investor-owned utilities such as Ameren Corp. and Kansas City Power & Light Co.

It lets those companies chose to be regulated under a new accounting method that incorporates more of their infrastructure costs into future rate cases.

Companies choosing that regulatory method would have to keep rates flat for three years but then could seek rate hikes of as much as 9 percent to account for those previous three years.

PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — One of the two former Pittsburg State University associate professors arrested for stalking and breach of privacy last year has been arrested again.

Pittsburg police say 47-year-old Peter Rosen was arrested Wednesday on charges of stalking and violations of a protection from stalking order. He was released on $2,000 bond.

The Pittsburg Morning-Sun reports Rosen has been arrested three times since a search in December found illegal videotaping of someone who was nude or nearly nude.

Rosen, former associate professor and chairman of Accounting and Computer Information Systems, also was arrested in November on a misdemeanor stalking charge.

All three arrests involve the same person.

Barry Wilson, former associate professor and chairman of Graphics and Imaging Technology, was arrested at the same time as Rosen in December. He was released $2,000 bond.