Most polls suggest that Democratic Senate candidate Lucas Kunce faces tough odds in his fight to unseat Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley.

However, Kunce's campaign nearly took a tragic turn this week when he appears to have accidentally shot a reporter. 

Candidate was the only one discharging a weapon when reporter was hit

According to Breitbart, Kunce was shooting firearms in a rural area north of Kansas City when KSHB-TV reporter Ryan Gamboa was wounded by shrapnel.

The Kansas City Star reported that Kunce fired an AR-15 just before Gambola was struck and was the only person discharging a weapon.

The newspapers explained that "Kunce, who spent 13 years in the Marines, wrapped gauze and his belt around the reporter’s arm to help stop the bleeding."

For his part, Kunce attempted to downplay the incident in a social media post, writing, "Great day at the range today with my friend [former Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger]."

Kunce: "Always have your first aid kit handy"

"We got to hang out with some union workers while exercising our freedom. Always have your first aid kit handy," he continued. 

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

The Senate candidate went on to state, "Shrapnel can always fly when you hit a target like today, and you've got to be ready to go."

He concluded by saying, "We had four first aid kits, so we were able to take care of the situation, and I’m glad Ryan is okay and was able to continue reporting."

Critics question the wisdom of using a rifle to shoot steel at close range

However, some social media users were critical of Kunce's actions, including "The Federalist" CEO Sean Davis, who responded by questioning the Democrat's mental acuity.

"You could've killed somebody today, you freaking moron. What kind of a brain dead idiot shoots steel inside 10 yards with a rifle?" David demanded.

"You just answered your own question," another online critic replied before adding, "Thankfully this didn't end much worse."

Interestingly, Breitbart cited the website OnTheIssues.org as reporting that Kunce favors raising the age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21.