WOODBRIDGE, VA (WUSA9) – How would you like to win an AR-15? Corey Stewart, Virginia GOP candidate for governor, used the campaign stunt to draw attention to his stand to expand gun rights in the Commonwealth.

After an online Christmas campaign that asked supporters to sign up (and give donations, if possible) to win an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, the weapon was given away at a gun store in Woodbridge on Wednesday.

Navy veteran, NRA member and Woodbridge resident Rick Thompson was picked as the winner in a blind drawing of 3,000 participants.

Stewart Campaign Chair Spence Rogers came up with attention-grabbing drawing to differentiate Stewart from Republican opponent Ed Gillespie.

“We’ve just seen an influx of volunteers. Volunteers and voters don’t get mobilized if you’re boring. Ed Gillespie is boring,” said Rogers, who ran Ted Cruz’s campaign for president.

“The more people that do carry weapons for self-defense, the safer we will all be,” Stewart added.