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Here’s How Guns Are Helping Rebuild A Marine Veteran’s Home
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Amy Dillon, a Marine Corps veteran, thought she lost everything when Hurricane Matthew nearly destroyed her home in October, but now her gun club buddies are helping her raise money to rebuild by putting their shared passion to good cause.
She was not home when the storm passed over South Carolina, but returned to find a disaster; not only was the house itself badly damaged, but so were most of her belongings.
The home of Staff Sergeant Amy Dillon after Hurricane Matthew passed through South Carolina. Courtesy of Amy Dillon
Marines are well-known for their resourcefulness, so Dillon did her best to repair her home herself.
“I’ve been out of the house now for over two months,” Dillon told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “I am doing everything myself, because I couldn’t afford contractors to come in.”
The damage was extensive: walls needed to be removed, the floor required replacement and all of her appliances were destroyed. To make matters worse, Dillon did not have flood insurance. Since she didn’t live in a flood-prone area, so she never thought she would need it.
Despite her best attempts, Dillon quickly realized paying out-of-pocket for repairs was becoming exorbitant. In addition to paying the home’s mortgage, she also had to pay rent on her temporary lodging since her home was filled with standing water.
Dillon spent 12 years in the Corps, retiring at the rank of staff sergeant. She served in a variety of roles in the service, including as a drill instructor. She kept her passion for firearms after she left the military, working as a firearms instructor and an advocate for second amendment rights.
Staff Sergeant Amy Dillon during her time in the U.S. Marine Corps. Courtesy of Amy Dillon
Dillon also began to shoot competitively in the “3-Gun” community, that’s where she met Brian Holcomb and other close friends who came up with a brilliant idea to help her solve her financial problem. By leveraging shared connections in the community, Holcomb was able to start a raffle for a custom AR-15 rifle. Friends in the 3 Gun community were more than happy chip in donating spare parts to create a slick rifle worth more than $2,000. One member even gave the gun a custom paint job.
The completed AR-15 which will be raffled for Amy Dillon to help raise funds to rebuild her home. Courtesy of Brian Holcomb
“This is the shooting community giving back to one of its own,” Holcomb told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
It took Holcomb just four days to complete the rifle, thanks to the gun community’s generosity. Dillon’s friends hope to raise $35,000 in order to help cover repair costs to the home.
“It shows a different side of the gun community,” Dillon told TheDCNF. “People involved in the rifle raffle know me … I’m very grateful for it.”
The rifle raffle will be held on Dec. 29 at 7 pm mountain time, at which time Dillon will draw the winning ticket herself. Every $25 donation will receive one ticket. To enter, go all you need to do is go to Dillon’s GoFundMe page, donate, and forward your receipt to [email protected]. You can see the rifle in action below.
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