Disgraced former Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s (R) Tuesday gun range photo op is being mocked online after a reporter was hit while Democrat candidate Lucas Kunce shot at targets that were apparently too close.
Kunce was shooting an AR-15 when the incident occurred. Breitbart News noted that the reporter, KSHB-TV’s Ryan Gamboa, stood in place while Kunce bandaged the wound.
The Federalist founder Sean Davis commented on the incident, saying, “I’m sorry, but this tweet is INSANE. It contains multitudes. The longer you look at the photos, the worse it gets.”
Davis continued, “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 the at [sic] distance. You would instantly get permanently banned at my range if you did that. Zero questions asked.”
For the record, when testing/reviewing an AR-platform firearm on steel targets Breitbart News does not shoot any closer than 50 yards, period. (This is because bullet fragments or a very rare ricochet wound can occur at closer distances.)
Davis also noted, “Kinzinger holds his rifle like a complete ninny, and that will never not be funny to me. And pro-tip for Kinzinger: the eye protection works better when it’s on your eyes, not your head. You stupid idiot. Try using your brain for once. You’re lucky you still have one after today.”
An X user commenting on Davis’s post noted, “The people I know who are pro-2A are all super careful and disciplined. These frauds need some votes so they go LARPing as pro-gun, actually SHOOT someone (a fragment or ricochet is still getting SHOT), and then f-king POST ABOUT IT LIKE A BRAG? I swear, none of this can be real.”
Another X user commented, “Anyone here remember getting hit by shrapnel at a range? Anyone? You don’t shoot steel from close range you idiots. WHY WOULD YOU??”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R) reacted to the incident by noting, “My grandma is a better shot than Lucas Kunce.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, a Pulsar Night Vision pro-staffer, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly: awrhawkins@breitbart.com.