ORLANDO, FLA. — ORLANDO, Fla. -- A right-wing young Republican group, bowing to pressure from the U.S. Secret Service, backed off plans yesterday to use enlarged photos of President-elect Bill Clinton as targets for a weekend turkey shoot.
"They came down hard on us, saying we threatened the president, things like that," said David Abrami, vice-president of the Central Florida Young Republican Club. "So we canceled it."
The event, originally planned for tomorrow, would have been the club's second "turkey shoot" fund-raiser. But this one had a new twist: a bulls-eye target of Mr. Clinton's face.
For a $2 donation, participants could fire a shotgun at the target. The person closest to the bulls eye -- Mr. Clinton's right cheek -- would win a turkey.
"This will be fun for the entire family," Mr. Abrami said in a news release publicizing the event.
"There will be food, drink and fun for all."
Plans for the fund-raiser went awry when the Secret Service learned about it.
An agent in Orlando contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office to see if it violated any laws.
It didn't, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Turner said.
"It has to be an actual threat to do imminent harm," Mr. Turner said.
"In the context of it all, it looks like extremely bad taste but it doesn't appear to be against the law. I would say it appears to be protected free speech."
But when Mr. Abrami, a 22-year-old senior at the University of Central Florida, heard the Secret Service was investigating, he got worried.
Yesterday morning, he spoke with the Secret Service, then decided to cancel the event.