On Wednesday, in a story for Media Trackers reposted at RightWisconsin, it was reported Randy Bryce’s Congressional campaign made a purchase at Dick’s Sporting Goods shortly before recording a television ad showing the candidate firing a rifle at some tin cans.
The questions raised in the article: why did Bryce need to purchase a rifle if he already possessed one, and will Bryce keep possession of the rifle after the campaign, meaning he used campaign funds to benefit himself?
On his show on WISN-AM, talk show host Jay Weber also asked some questions about the purchase, including whether Bryce is really a hunter if he doesn’t have any friends that could have loaned him a gun.
“Randy Bryce, lifelong Wisconsinite, doesn’t have a friend who has a gun that he can borrow?” Weber asked. “Isn’t that the greatest question here? It exposes how out of touch Randy Bryce is with the Wisconsin hunter or shooting culture.”
However, Weber says the issue is a much bigger deal than Bryce possibly faking being a gun owner or a hunter.
“Did Randy Bryce just want the gun?” Weber asked. “If Randy Bryce is a gun owner and a hunter, did he simply see this as an excuse to buy a new rifle? Does Randy Bryce really hunt?”
If Bryce just wanted the gun and used it in the ad before keeping it for himself, Weber said, Bryce could be misusing campaign funds.
“Where is this gun? Who has possession of this gun? Whose closet or gun safe is it sitting in?” Weber asked. “Who was run through the background check? Was Randy Bryce run through the background check?”
You can listen to the whole segment starting at the 32:00 minute mark on the podcast.
