As my colleague Sister Toldjah reported, Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley has been riding hard on his opponent, Democrat Lucas Kunce, after a campaign photo op involving guns that went horribly wrong. KSHB 41 News reporter Ryan Gamboa, who was there to cover the event, ended up being hit by flying shrapnel. Either too shameless (or too stupid) on the implications of publicizing this debacle, Kunce posted the photos on X, calling it a "great day at the range."

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

Since then, Hawley has been tweeting out digs like, "My grandma is a better shot than Lucas Kunce," and "I will provide safety gear for all reporters covering Lucas Kunce. Free of charge. Enjoy!" But Hawley has uncovered even more fodder with the background of the person who arranged this event.

So Kunce’s stunt at the fake gun range - where he shot the reporter - was organized by a criminal? Who is not supposed to have access to firearms? What is going on here pic.twitter.com/TrNmMS7Cup

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 24, 2024

Amazing. According to local reports, Chad Everett Downs is currently facing felony perjury charges, and one of the requirements of his bond is that he is not supposed to have access to or be near firearms.  

Court records also show that a Holt man who played a role in setting up the gun range, and remained close to Kunce and Kinzinger during the shooting, faces felony perjury charges, accused of lying in a child abuse case that was dismissed.

Hoo boy.

As Kunce and Kinziger were shooting, Chad Everett Downs remained nearby. Before the event, Downs spoke with a Star photojournalist, saying that the range was his but that the event was taking place at his neighbor’s residence.

Downs said he lived “across the way” and said his neighbor allows him to shoot on the property. He showed The Star firearms that were on the table that belonged to him.

Missouri court records show that Downs was charged with 17 counts of felony perjury in August by Ray County Prosecutor Camille Johnston. He has been issued a criminal summons and waived his preliminary hearing. His ex-wife in a court filing earlier this month alleged the man owns or has access to guns in violation of his bond conditions.

Kunce thought he'd get a great photo-op on how comfortable he is with firearms and how he supports gun rights. Instead, he's become a poster child for Democrats and their nefarious connections. Kunce also gave the opposite message of what he was attempting to project. Their little show has given good reason on why proper training is important, and just because you claim to have a military background doesn't mean you know how to handle firearms.

But interviews with gun safety experts and a review of court records raise deeper concerns with the event beyond bad optics.

Experts who spoke with The Star raised questions about safety at the range. They described best practices seemingly at odds with the scene shown in photos. The shooters appeared too close to the targets, for instance.

And when Kinsinger and Kunce miss their targets the bullets will travel hundreds of yards down range because there is no backstop, and because they are shooting into dense woods they have no idea who or what might be hit…Hikers? Kids on bikes? Vehicles on roads? Homes?… https://t.co/FF89l37Asu

— Zeke Stonekiller (@ZekeStonekiller) October 23, 2024

When I spoke with gun trainer and the founder of We The Female organization, Kerry Slone, she joked: 

"Now we see why these types of dudes want to ban firearms." Slone further quipped, "We can tell who went to the Dick Cheney School of Shooting!"

But Slone's tone became sober, because while we can joke about this incident because no one was seriously hurt, Kunce, Kinzinger and Downs' lack of experience and ultimate negligence created the atmosphere for a real tragedy to unfold.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of people that are either gun owners or claim to be "gun people" really don't have any idea how to safely operate firearms, in any capacity.

Kunce and Kinzinger proved this. An Air National Guard and Marine respectively, neither one of them knew how a proper range should be set up. The Missouri Firearms Coalition weighed in, saying that to any experienced gun person, they did it wrong.

If you haven't heard yet, Democrat Senate Candidate @LucasKunceMO and former RINO Rep. @AdamKinzinger (who hates guns and Trump) held a bogus range day to impress the media and claim that Kunce is not a gun grabber. He is. 100%.

Then, they send bullet fragments into the arm… pic.twitter.com/bb8cjODVEo

— Missouri Firearms Coalition (@MOFirearms2A) October 23, 2024

Their full post:

If you haven't heard yet, Democrat Senate Candidate @LucasKunceMO  and former RINO Rep. @AdamKinzinger  (who hates guns and Trump) held a bogus range day to impress the media and claim that Kunce is not a gun grabber. He is. 100%.

Then, they send bullet fragments into the arm of a nearby reporter. Bad situation, caused by clowns who can't handle the very firearms they want to confiscate. 

How many stupid things do you see in this picture? Sound off in the comment section. Here's a few that come to our mind: 

1. Umm, you don't shoot steel targets with a freaking AR-15 at 10 yards. A child knows that will be dangerous. 

2. You don't use a scope like that on targets that close. 

3. Your eye pro belongs in front of your eyes, not on top of your head. 

4. Adam, you are leaning back like a sissy. Act like a man, lean into it.  

5. Vertical foregrip isn't a mistake, but very fashionable, circa 2005. What else ya got?

Kunce was also supposed to report any campaign incident that resulted in injury to the county sheriff. The gun-op event happened on Tuesday. Kunce waited until Wednesday to report it.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Lucas Kunce has notified law enforcement of an incident at a campaign event Tuesday at which a KSHB 41 News reporter was injured.

Clinton County, Missouri, Sheriff Larry Fish said in a statement to KSHB 41 News that Kunce notified deputies of the incident on Wednesday.

Reporter Ryan Gamboa gave his testimony of the incident to the sheriff, but according to the sheriff's report, does not plan to press any charges. Slone's response to this was: "After being shot by a RINO and a wannabe Dem Senator, the reporter is definitely voting for Trump." 

She may not be wrong. Or he's moved his support to Hawley, who to his credit, hasn't injured anyone.