US Senate hopeful counters gun control criticism by assembling AR-15 blindfolded

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Jason Kander, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate from Missouri, has produced one of the most eye-catching campaign ads of this election cycle, assembling an AR-15 assault rifle while blindfolded to demonstrate his knowledge of firearms.

Kander, 35, a US Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, is currently the Missouri secretary of state. He is challenging Republican incumbent Roy Blunt for his US Senate seat, and Blunt has repeatedly questioned his Second Amendment credentials.

“In the Army, I learned how to use and respect my rifle,” Kander says, as he puts the weapon together by feel alone. He supports Second Amendment rights, he goes on, but adds: “I also believe in background checks, so that terrorists can't get their hands on one of these.”

At the end of the ad, he challenges Blunt – who never served in the military – to perform the same feat. The spot has gained nationwide attention, and Kander’s popularity is forcing Republicans to re-route valuable resources to defend Blunt’s seat.

Though Missouri is likely to vote Republican in the presidential election, Kander is thought to have an outside chance of flipping the Senate seat to the Democrats. But the state has some of the loosest gun laws in the US, and Kander has an “F” rating from the National Rifle Association for his past voting record on the issue. This week, the NRA released its own response to his ad.