Most polling in the race between Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and his Democrat opponent, Lucas Kunce, has shown Hawley firmly in the lead. But a couple of them have put Kunce to within shouting distance of Hawley, so one would think with that in mind (and with two weeks to go) that he'd be a little smarter, wiser in his choice of campaign gatherings and who he has tagging along with him.

Except that has not been the case, as evidenced by a shooting event Kunce hosted Tuesday featuring union members that went wildly off course fast - not just because he invited faux "Republican" NeverTrumper Adam Kinzinger to participate, but also because of what happened to a reporter while shooting was taking place.

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The man's employer, KSHB 41 News, filed the following report:

HOLT, Mo. — A KSHB 41 News reporter was hit by a metal fragment Tuesday afternoon while covering a campaign event for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Lucas Kunce.

Reporter Ryan Gamboa was covering the event at a private residence in Holt, Missouri — about 40 miles northeast of Kansas City — Tuesday afternoon when he was struck in the arm. It was unclear if he was struck by a bullet ricochet or another type of metal fragment.

Kunce was firing an AR-15-style weapon at the time that the reporter was struck.

The scene after Josh Hawley's opponent @LucasKunceMO accidentally shot a reporter at an event with Adam Kinzinger pic.twitter.com/OMtVjJ6dYr

— Mike Berg (@MikeKBerg) October 23, 2024

For some, the incident brought to mind the infamous 2006 hunting accident involving then-Vice President Dick Cheney, who "accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets."

Thankfully, Gamboa was okay after being treated and released from the hospital. Meanwhile, Kunce's tweet about the incident, where he focused on how he tended to Gamboa's wound, got some attention from Hawley and some of his senior Senate staffers:

“Great day at the range we shot a reporter but otherwise all good!” What???? https://t.co/HTT18xDU96

— Abigail Jackson 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) October 23, 2024

Hawley himself was relentless:

While Kunce was busy shooting at reporters, Erin and I were traveling the state … pic.twitter.com/uZc0DesE1F

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 23, 2024

My grandma is a better shot than Lucas Kunce pic.twitter.com/rSjnBTlWeh

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 23, 2024

Hawley's colleague, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), even got in on the action:

All this Kunce cosplay can be dangerous.

Vote @HawleyMO pic.twitter.com/WkALUeR9l2

— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) October 23, 2024

I think there's something to be said for the oft-repeated remark about how Democrats and guns simply don't mix, and that clearly goes double when faux Republicans like Kinzinger are involved.

Relatedly, there is currently a discussion on the Twitter/X machine about how the photos Kunce shared demonstrate "what to never do" while at a shooting range:

I’m sorry, but this tweet is INSANE. It contains multitudes. The longer you look at the photos, the worse it gets.

1) They are shooting steel at 5-7 yards with rifles, which could’ve killed somebody given the force with which the bullets will ricochet off the steel targets at… https://t.co/S6jiawDlFe

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) October 23, 2024

Agree or disagree? I report, readers decide.

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