LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — A pastor in an affluent suburb of Portland may have run afoul of Oregon law when he transferred an AR-15 assault rifle that he won in a softball league raffle to a gun-owning friend for safekeeping without performing a background check...

...Lucas, of Christ Church Episcopal Parish in Lake Oswego, a suburban town about 10 miles south of Portland, drew national attention recently when he used $3,000 in discretionary church funds to buy as many of the raffle tickets as he could for a softball league fundraiser to send high school students to a regional tournament in California.

Lucas, 44, wanted to win so he could destroy the gun. He told the AP on Tuesday that he has received overwhelming support from parishioners...

...Last year, state lawmakers passed a new law that made transferring a gun without a background check illegal, even if the arrangement is between two private parties and no money changes hands. If Lucas were to be convicted of a misdemeanor charge of unlawful transfer of a weapon, he could face a maximum fine of $6,250 and up to a year in jail.