State politics came under fire Friday in Andalusia – not for politicians’ views on electronic bingo or any piece of upcoming legislation, but because the area hosted two state politicians at the annual IRT pistol competition.

The competition, which was held at the Wilbur Williams Training Facility, also received a visit from special guest, Attorney General Luther Strange, who expressed his admiration of the city’s facility, and local state Rep. Mike Jones.

Monies raised will help purchase equipment for the Covington County Incident Response Team, which will be used for training purposes and in real-life operations.

And while participation was down at this year’s event the group still managed to raise nearly $7,000.

Opp Police Chief and IRT Commander Mike McDonald said approximately 12 agencies from Southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle were represented.

“That’s a less than we normally have, but it’s kind of expected with the way the economy is,” McDonald said. “Add the price of ammunition to it and some agencies couldn’t afford to send an officer.”