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A gun range photo op turned sideways for Adam Kinzinger and a Democratic Party Senate candidate kicking off a social media roast.

“Wow, Democrats are really taking Dick Cheney’s endorsement seriously.”

One might expect an Air National Guard lieutenant colonel and U.S. Marine Corps veteran would know a little something about firearm safety, but the pictures from Tuesday’s bloody campaign event in Missouri told a different story.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R) rival Lucas Kunce attempted to sell the shrapnel wound of reporter Ryan Gamboa as a minor detail as he posted, “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 aids kits, so we were able to take care of the situation, and I’m glad Ryan is okay and was able to continue reporting.”

However, the reality of what happened was just the tip of the iceberg as nitpicking commenced like a lethal version of a hidden object game.

To start, RealClearInvestigations senior writer Mark Hemingway was among those calling out the “idiocy” of shooting steel targets at such close proximity as he wrote, “‘Shrapnel can always fly when you hit a target’ — they were shooting steel targets at like 20 feet! They were asking for shrapnel to start flying. This is not some minor mistake. They could have killed someone with their idiocy.”

A more thorough shredding of the scene came courtesy of The Federalist CEO Sean Davis who, in addition to calling out the ricochet risk that would have had Kunce and Kinzinger “permanently banned at my range,” pointed out the RINO’s use of a scope, the presence of a bolt action rifle that may have also been used on the steel targets that close, the location of a cameraman down range, “at least two canisters of explosive Tannerite powder on the table, downrange from where guns are being fired,” and safety glasses atop Kinzinger’s head instead of covering his eyes.

“You stupid idiot. Try using your brain for once. You’re lucky you still have one after today,” he said of the former Illinois lawmaker while he leveled against the wannabe senator, “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.”

While Davis recommended they lawyer up in case the reporter took legal action over their negligence, Townhall contributor John Hasson served up a Lucas Kunce edition of “Shot… chaser” as he shared news of the shrapnel incident alongside a 2021 video of the perpetual candidate boasting about a “Marine-led weapons safety training” after the McCloskey’s pled guilty to misdemeanor charges after waving their guns at BLM protesters in 2020.

In addition to the slew of posts ripping Kunce and Kinzinger for putting everyone at the event in harm’s way, and a number of references to the Democratic Party’s 1988 presidential nominee, then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis’ tank stunt, Hawley got in on the action himself and called on Vice President Kamala Harris to “condemn the gun violence” from the pair.

“I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce never to shoot another one,” he posted with laughing emojis.

Kevin Haggerty
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