Kansas town says Kobach can’t use replica gun in parade

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Organizers of a small-town Kansas parade have told Republican gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach that he must remove a replica machine gun from the back of a Jeep to use it in their event.

The Jeep has become a key part of Kobach’s campaign and emblematic of the Kansas secretary of state’s strong support for the right to own guns.

An attorney for the organizing committee for Iola’s Farm City Days said it was in talks Friday with Kobach’s campaign to find a compromise.

Attorney Daniel Schowengerdt said committee members felt the replica gun’s “wartime message” clashed with the event’s message of bringing farms and cities together.

Kobach said that he believes organizers can’t prevent him from using the Jeep in Saturday’s parade in southeast Kansas without violating his free speech rights.