A Democratic activist’s online post criticizing the El Paso County Republican Party for auctioning an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at its annual fundraising dinner  was reported to police as a potential threat.

Betty Field, who failed to qualify for the primary ballot to run for Congress, asked fellow activists to protest the planned auction at the GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner at the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs, El Paso County’s biggest city, on May 12 with a Facebook event titled “Republican Death for Profit.”

The post caught the eye of several people, including county GOP Executive Director Cassandra Sebastian, who reported it to Colorado Springs police and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

“We’re not terribly worried about it, it’s just the name that’s so bothersome,” Sebastian said.

Colorado Springs police spokesman Lt. Howard Black said Thursday that officers investigate all reports of potential threats, although he acknowledged Field’s post did not appear to pose an imminent danger.

No threat was intended, according to Field, who said her post was meant to draw attention to what she saw as an inappropriate fundraiser by Republicans.

The notion of honoring law enforcement, first responders and fallen heroes “by auctioning off the weapon of choice in the murders of civilians and law enforcement is disrespectful and completely un-empathetic and just straight up wrong,” Field said.

In hindsight, Field said, she could have chosen a better title for her post.

“Looking back at that, could it have been chosen better? Probably,” Field said. “But has it garnered attention? Yes.

“Interrupting their event is not our intent, nor is it our intent to provoke violence. It is not our intention to impede anyone from entering the Antlers for any reason.”

Field’s post explains the event is a protest that calls for “responsible gun ownership legislation.”

“Using weapons of war as a fundraising ploy proves Republican refusal to address gun violence in our communities!” Field wrote.

Field said she supports the Second Amendment right to own guns and her son frequently openly carries a weapon. Her views on gun control have been shaped, she said, by the murder of a family friend and the crisis of gun violence the nation is facing.

The national debate surrounding AR-15s stretches back decades. The rifles were among the guns included in the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 that expired after 10 years.

Since then, the AR-15 has been used in mass shootings at schools, churches, theaters and concerts. Variations of the weapon were used in these killings:

The county Republican Party has been auctioning off weapons for decades as part of its annual fundraising, Sebastian said.

“Nobody’s ever been harmed with it,” she said. “The gun dealers come to the event. We do a background check. It’s all very thorough.”

This year, the group is auctioning two AR-15s, one made by Windham Weaponry and the other by Smith & Wesson.

Raffling off guns – and even giving them away – isn’t uncommon among primarily Republican candidates looking to raise money and show their support for gun rights. Similar raffles have come under increasing pressure, though, since the shooting in Parkland, causing some to be canceled.

Other items in the Lincoln Day Dinner auction include a spa and hotel package, jewelry and artwork, Sebastian said. The event serves as the party’s annual fundraiser and is expected to host up to 550 people this year.

Sebastian said about 10 party members frequently carry firearms and law enforcement officials often attend their meetings, so any threats to the party’s events are likely ill-conceived.

Josh Hosler, a Marine veteran who wore a .40-caliber Springfield pistol the night he was elected county GOP chairman, commented on Field’s post, thanking her for raising awareness of the upcoming fundraiser.

Field said she’s received support for her post and predicted up to 100 people might join her in protesting the gun auction.