Flyaway metal from Missouri Democratic Senate candidate's rifle grazes reporter at campaign event

A Missouri reporter was injured slightly Tuesday when a rifle fired by a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate during a campaign event caused metal fragments to hit the journalist in the arm.

The KSHB-TV reporter was hit in the arm by flyaway metal as Lucas Kunce, a Marine, fired an AR-15-style rifle at targets at an exurban Kansas City home.

Kunce provided first aid to the reporter, who continued covering the event. The Kansas City TV station reported the journalist later was treated for a minor injury at a local hospital.

“We had four first aid kits, so we were able to take care of the situation,” Kunce on Tuesday posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. He added that he’s glad the reporter is OK.

Kunce is trying to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley next month.

Flyaway metal from Missouri Democratic Senate candidate's rifle grazes reporter at campaign event | iNFOnews.ca — Democratic U.S. senate candidate Lucas Kunce, center, applies first aid to KSHB reporter Ryan Gamboa, left, after Gamboa was struck by a metal fragment during a sport shooting campaign event Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024 in Holt, Missouri. (Dominick Williams/The Kansas City Star via AP)

The Tuesday shooting event appears to have been designed to appeal to moderate and Republican voters in a state now defined by the GOP’s political dominance, including a strong belief in gun rights. Such events are now increasingly common tactic used by some Missouri Democrats.

No Democrats serve in statewide office. Kunce’s rival, Hawley, ousted former Democratic powerhouse Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2018.

Nationally, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has not shied away from guns, either. She told Oprah Winfrey last month that she owns a gun and is prepared to shoot home invaders.

Kunce later wrote on social media that he had a “great day at the range” with former Illinois U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican.

“We got to hang out with some union workers while exercising our freedom,” Kunce wrote in the post that also referenced the accidental shooting.

For his part, Hawley responded jokingly to the accident.

“I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce never to shoot another one,” he wrote on X, ending the post with several laughing-face emojis.

This is Kunce’s second bid for the U.S. Senate. He lost the Democratic primary in 2022 to beer heir Trudy Busch Valentine, who went on to lose to now-Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican, in the general election.