A Missouri reporter was slightly injured Tuesday when a gun fired by a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate during a campaign event caused metal fragments to strike the journalist in the arm.
The KSHB-TV reporter was hit in the arm by flying metal Lucas Kuncea Marine, fired an AR-15-style rifle at targets in a suburban Kansas City home.
Kunce administered first aid to the reporter, who continued to cover the event. The Kansas City TV station reported the journalist was later treated at a local hospital for a minor injury.
“We had four first aid kits so we were able to handle the situation,” Kunce posted Tuesday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. He added that he is glad the reporter is okay.
Kunce will try to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley next month.
Tuesday’s shooting event appears designed to appeal to moderate and Republican voters in a state now defined by the Republican Party’s political dominance, including a strong belief in gun rights. Such events are now becoming more common tactic used by some Democrats in Missouri.
There are no Democrats holding statewide office. Kunce’s rival, Hawley, expelled former Democratic powerhouse Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2018.
On a national level, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has not shied away from this gunsor. She told Oprah Winfrey last month that she owns a gun and is willing to shoot intruders.
Kunce later wrote on social media that he had a “great day at the shooting range” with former Illinois U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican.
“We had to deal with some union workers while exercising our freedom,” Kunce wrote in the post that also referenced the accidental shooting.
For his part, Hawley responded to the accident jokingly.
“I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce to never shoot anyone again,” he wrote on X, ending the post with several laughing emojis.
This is Kunce’s second bid for the U.S. Senate. He lost the Democratic primaries in 2022 to beer heir Trudy Busch Valentine, who then lost to the current senator. Eric Schmitt, a Republican, in the general elections.