SAINT LOUIS, MO (KMOX) - The Central West End attorney who once stood on his lawn with an assault rifle to fend off protesters is condemning the Eric Greitens gun ad. Republican Senate hopeful Mark McCloskey tells KMOX, the ad showing Greitens leading a military raid on a house to "go after RINO's" -- Republicans in Name Only -- could be taken the wrong way. "I think that what he's doing in promoting violence is very, very bad."
"I think in the world where we have gotten a bunch of people, that may be wackos, that may be susceptible to violence, that putting out that kind of a commercial today, shows terrible judgement." McCloskey says his own ads showing he and his wife toting guns on their lawn is different, because they were "defending their life and property." Billboards for the US Senate race show McCloskey and his wife holding guns on their lawn the day of protests, under a banner that says "Never back down".
McCloskey says the ad sends the wrong message. "Kids grow up today playing video games where all they do is kill stuff and blow things up, and then you have Eric Greitens who puts out a commercial that looks like a video game except he's calling for hunting human beings."
McCloskey says he's "tied for second place," slightly behind Greitens in a poll he commissioned -- but only when people polled are told he's "the guy in the pink shirt who stood on his lawn with a gun."
Also running for the US Senate in the Republican primary, Vick Hartzler and Eric Schmitt.
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