Your cousin is in deep, deep trouble.

Do they have kids?

...seeing how the wife is an Episcopalian the odds are he is too and they are considered a very liberal church.

What part of "first paragraph" didn't you get? Anyway, here's it:

"He has guns in his home I didn't even know exist. Last year after the movie theater shooting I asked him was it really necessary to allow 100 round clips. His answer was they were a hoot to use and he had fun using his to kill prairie dogs in se Oregon."

Not surprised.

But it sounds like you really want to get it off your chest.

Any hope you can call her just to say that you're glad the auction was successful but that you're really disappointed that she didn't tell you about the NRA angle?

If you and she are close it ought to be OK to just clear the air about it and move on.

you don't appreciate being used like that. See if she apologizes, which I think should be a minimum response from her.

But for real penance, you should ask her for a contribution to your favorite politician running for office.

But that's just me.

You seem to like her much more than she authentically likes you.

If you need to talk to her or him about it, then do so after you cool off a bit, if you're still heated.

neglected to name the 'charity' because she knew you would decline, and explain how deceitful and offensive that would be. It's not as if you just cleared out the back of your closet, after all - a handmade rod is a pretty major expenditure of your time and skill.

And I wouldn't wait until the next gathering - give her a call...

you assumed it was for her church? You know what they say about assuming things don't you?

How was you that you found out the auction benefited the NRA?

as the beneficiary. The form was needed to claim the donation of the rod during income tax filings.

reading comprehension skills.

If she asks why, explain to her what you found when you did the rod and saw the tax form and that you don't support organizations that you have moral objections to.

They're for target practice and such. People only hunt for food anyway. And the best part is being in the fresh air. They really love animals and are really sad to have to kill them.

I have punched a lot of holes in paper targets.

It would be nice to reach a time in our nation where firearms are only owned by hunters, target shooters, collectors and those who live in extremely dangerous neighborhoods or work in law enforcement.

I grew up in a rural area in northern Ohio back in the 1950s and 1960s. Few people who had no real reason to own a firearm had one in their house.

The sad part is the gun crime in general is falling to levels last seen in the late 1960s but neither the NRA or the gun control advocates stress this fact. Both sides either recommend buying a firearm to prevent a criminal attack or to impose strong restrictions on firearm ownership in order to reduce the rise of violent crime in our nation.

Really you can't blame her for your wrong assumption. The fact she gave you a receipt shows she is being on the up and up.

And you are jumping to assumptions again about her motivations. You got it wrong the last time. Maybe you should take it easy and just ask next time?

Getting upset over someone else's SO's politics is a losing proposition, IMO.

The number of replies that are completely unsympathetic shows how many toxic personalities haunt the internet. Your cousin and her husband intentionally mislead you which shows they have serious personality issues. I highly recommend a book titled Toxic Coworkers: How to Deal With Dysfunctional People on the Job. While this is a family situation, the book was very helpful to me in dealing with a dysfunctional sibling.

Do not let people tell you that it is your fault. They are wrong. You are on the moral high ground here. If I think of anything else I will post here again. Good luck!

They are like a KJV Biblical animal: unicorns ( Num. 23:22; 24:8; Dt. 33:17; Job 39, 9-10; Psa. 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; Isa. 34, 7). They don't exist.

talking about.

I just went off what the news at the time said of the incident. When I asked david about them ,he seemed to know what I meant.

If she recently told you in private that she " doesn't condone the recent political actions of the NRA but stays quiet to keep peace at home", I wonder if she was lying to you and pulling a fast one on you. Do you think that she flat out lied to you about her thoughts on the NRA? If she knew what your thoughts are on the NRA she have realized that you would never agree to help her with the auction "she was having" if you any belief that it was on behalf of the NRA. Holding an auction for the NRA shows that she is an active participant in the process and not just keeping quiet to keep the peace in the family.

After you calm down and can think out what you want to say to her I would definitely call her on it and tell her point blank to leave you out of any future fund raising efforts. It sounds like you care a lot more for your cousin then she cares for you.

Her husband sounds like he has a screw loose too. I don't know if you have any children but, if you do, is this someone you want to have around them?

By confront I don't mean be angry and accusatory, just direct. Tell her how you feel about having your work go to an NRA auction, why you believe she should have known this would upset you, and how you plan to respond to her requests in the future. That you didn't ask who would benefit from the donation is a minor issue because you trusted her.

Mail the tax receipt back to send and tell them you wouldn't have offered it up to an auction had you known that it would be auctioned off for/by the NRA.

IOW, get this out from under your skin by taking positive steps.

I see comments or statements like this often but find them hard to believe sometimes. Could you elaborate please?

I have a bit of history with gun deaths .I lost my grandfather to suicide ,and had a friend in grade school who accidently blew his head off with a shotgun when we were 12 during summer vacation.I was the one who found him. I also lost my uncle to suicide back when I was 15. He was accused of sleeping with an underage girl ,and was about to go to prison. He shot himself in an ally next to mary`s club ( a bar he frequented in downtown Portland.)I have never owned my own firearm even though I am 54 yrs old. I have a baseball bat in the corner behind the front door for self defense.
I don't like guns, and believe it or not I do get physical symtoms when around them.

And if your cousin asks why, you should tell her about your feelings. Ask her to forward that money to some homeless shelter or something.
I feel so sorry for you.

Edited to add: If you can afford it!

My suggestion is to take the tax deduction and use the money you save on taxes to make a donation to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the Brady Campaign, the Humane Society or even your local suicide prevention organization. You are owed the tax deduction and should take it IMO. However, by using the money you save to support a cause you agree with you are taking positive action, turning a negative into a positive.

You should check with the IRS to make sure what your cousin and her husband are running is a legitimate charity event. If you have never talked to the IRS, you will be surprised how helpful they are. Just call now instead of during tax season. The IRS agent I talked to about a capital gains issue saved me thousands of dollars.

I would make a note on my calendar and make a donation in their name every year in memory of your loved ones to an anti gun violence organization or mental health org in the future, too.

One more thing that I found disturbing is your cousin's husband's talk about shooting prairie dogs. It is a disturbing symptom of deeper psych issues. Be careful around him.

Good luck and take care of yourself.