State senator challenged to duel in citizen letter to Columbia Daily Tribune

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Intro:	A Senator in Missouri's Capitol says that death threats are just part of his job.
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Wrap: Republican state Senator Kurt Schaefer says he has not contacted the police about a death threat he received in a letter to the editor published in the Columbia Daily Tribune.

The threat is from one of Schaefer's constituents, who says he wants to kill the Senator in a duel or hand-to-hand fight.

Schaefer says he thinks the newspaper's choice to publish the letter irresponsible.

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Description: "To voice an opinion from somebody in the community in the paper, that they have a position on a policy issue or something that's going on and they disagree with me, that is absolutely fair game. But if you look at that letter, there is no expression of any policy issue. It's just I hate Kurt Schaefer an wanna kill him."

An editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune says the letter is rhetorical and the newspaper did not take it as a threat.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Ellie Coatar.

Intro:	A Senator in Missouri's Capitol says death threats are just part of his job after a citizen challenges him to a duel.
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Wrap: Republican Boone County Senator Kurt Schaefer says he has not yet contacted police about a threat on his life in a letter to the editor published in the Columbia Daily Tribune.

The threat is from one of Schaefer's constituents, who says he wants to kill the Senator in a duel or hand-to-hand fight.

Schaefer says as a former prosecutor he can take the heat, but this piece did not contain any issues with his policy decisions.

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Description: "But, you know, when you give a public outlet and it shows up in the paper and you have family who sees that and, you know, maybe get concerned about that, I'd say that's an issue. And I think it was irresponsible of the Columbia Tribune to do that."

An editor for the Columbia Daily says the letter is rhetorical and they did not see it as a threat.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Ellie Coatar.

Intro:	An editor at the Columbia Daily Tribune says that a threat on the life of a Senator at the Missouri state Capitol is only rhetorical.
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Wrap: A Columbia man wrote in to the Tribune and said he wants to kill Republican state Senator Kurt Schaefer in a duel or hand-to-hand fight.

Schaefer says the Tribune was irresponsible in its decision to publish the letter.

But Daily Tribune managing editor Jim Robertson says that the threat should not be taken literally.

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Description: "I know that Sen. Schaefer and some others are focusing on the gun threat or beat him to death or whatever, but take the whole thing in its context."

Schaefer says he has not decided if he will contact the police about the threat.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Ellie Coatar.