U.S. Rep. Paul Broun plans to hold a prize drawing in which he will award to the winner a semi-automatic Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle—the same type of weapon used to shoot and kill 20 young schoolchildren and six educators in Newtown, CT.

“How would you like to start off 2014 with a brand new AR-15 for free?” Broun, a Senate candidate, asked in an email to supporters Friday.

“As one of the most conservative members of Congress, and a staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I am constantly under attack for my values and beliefs,” Broun said. “Today I’m fighting back.”

Broun’s email provides a link to a web page where people can submit their names and email addresses to enter the prize drawing – no monetary contribution is required.

“Barack Obama would like nothing more than to ban the AR-15 rifle—and that’s exactly why I’ve decided to give away a free AR-15 to one of my fellow 2nd Amendment supporters,” Broun said.

“You see, it’s no secret that the Democrats and liberal media would love to take away our guns and mandate every aspect of our lives, but I refuse to let them get away with that,” Broun added.

Broun is running for the Republican nomination in the race to replace retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Although all of the other GOP candidates – Phil Gingrey, Jack Kingston, Karen Handel, David Perdue – are gun rights supporters, none of them have upped the ante in the kind of dramatic way Broun proposes to do.

The Bushmaster AR-15 is one of the most best-known assault rifles manufactured and sold in the U.S.

Adam Lanza, the gunman in the Dec. 14, 2102 Newtown shootings, used a Bushmaster XM-15 that enabled him to fire off 154 rounds in about five minutes in one of the deadliest shooting sprees in American history.