The 2024 political campaign season has turned downright wild.
First it was former president Donald Trump who was nearly assassinated at a campaign rally in Butler, PA in July. Another attempt on the former president’s life as thwarted outside a Florida golf course this fall.
Now, a TV reporter covering a hotly-contested U.S. Senate race in Missouri was shot by the Democratic candidate… with an AR-15.
And we have the wild footage.
Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Lucas Kunce, who is running against incumbent Republican Josh Hawley for his Senate seat, accidentally shot a reporter at a poorly planned campaign event at a local gun range yesterday.
Local affiliate KSHB-TV’s Ryan Gamboa was injured after a bullet fragment (fired by Kunce) struck his arm, which required immediate emergency care.
Kunce, trying to appeal to conservative voters, didn’t use proper safety precautions. In fact, his campaign didn’t use even the most basic safety precautions. Instead, Kunce was standing just 15 feet from metal cans — using a high-powered scope — to shoot.
Even a novice would know better. Here’s footage from the event showing Gamboa’s wounds:
Luckily Gamboa was able to walk away relatively unscathed.
But Kunce and his team tried to spin the incident in a favorable light.
Great day at the range today with my friend @AdamKinzinger. We got to hang out with some union workers while exercising our freedom. Always have your first aid kit handy. Shrapnel can always fly when you hit a target like today, and you’ve got to be ready to go. We had four first… pic.twitter.com/Qu4YxfrtrU
— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) October 23, 2024
“Great day at the range today with my friend @AdamKinzinger,” Kunce posted on X yesterday.
“We got to hang out with some union workers while exercising our freedom. Always have your first aid kit handy. Shrapnel can always fly when you hit a target like today, and you’ve got to be ready to go. We had four first aid kits, so we were able to take care of the situation, and I’m glad Ryan is okay and was able to continue reporting.”
Kunce, a 13-year Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was shooting an AR-15 at the time of the accident. It left social media users questioning the unsafe conditions, considering Kunce has experience firing similar weapons like this before.
The reaction to the near-fatal event drew reactions from folks across social media, including from Hawley, who posted online saying, “I know the Kunce campaign needed a shot in the arm, but this is taking it a little far…”
I know the Kunce campaign needed a shot in the arm, but this is taking it a little far …
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 23, 2024
Hawley’s team also posted saying:
“Democrats Lucas Kunce & Adam Kinzinger apparently accidentally shot a reporter at an event today. Are these guys trying to make Tim Walz look competent with a gun?”
Democrats Lucas Kunce & Adam Kinzinger apparently accidentally shot a reporter at an event today.
Are these guys trying to make Tim Walz look competent with a gun? pic.twitter.com/ZSH3BDpD2j
— Abigail Jackson 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) October 23, 2024
The jab at Tim Walz is in reference to the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee fumbling over a shotgun while trying to load it during a campaign hunting trip… despite Walz being a self-proclaimed, experienced user.
Others were more outraged over the incident.
“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X. “Shooting steel targets this close is a recipe for disaster.”
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Shooting steel targets this close is a recipe for disaster. pic.twitter.com/diG7gIW85g
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 23, 2024
“Absolutely mind-blowing insanity from a candidate for a political party that wants to take away your guns because it claims you can’t safely own them,” Federalist CEO and co-founder Sean Davis posted on X. “You could’ve killed somebody today, you freaking moron. What kind of a brain dead idiot shoots steel inside 10 yards with a rifle?”
As for the actual race between Kunce and Hawley?
Kunce trails Hawley by 11%, according to a September poll from Emerson Polling College and The Hill.