Man Aimed Gun At Woman Over Anti-Trump, Fox News Bumper Sticker

A conservative man from Ozark, Missouri, was accused of pointing a gun at a liberal woman driving on the highway over their "stupid" political bumper stickers.

Edward Burns, 48, was charged with illegally using a weapon after he apparently threatened Laura Umphenour Aug. 24 with his Smith & Wesson .380 handgun as a way to enact his freedom of speech over his opinion of her bumper stickers. Burns found Umphenour's bumper stickers to be "stupid," according to court documents obtained by Associated Press.

The incident reportedly started on U.S. 65 Highway, where 63-year-old Umphenour ultimately crashed into a guardrail, AP reported. Burns wasn't a fan of the multiple liberal-themed bumper stickers that covered Umphenour's minivan. The bumper stickers opposed President Donald Trump and Fox News, among many others.

"During the incident, both [the victim] and Edward exchanged offensive hand gestures to each other," the court documents stated, according to the Christian County Headliner News. "At one point during the incident, [the victim] pulled alongside of Edward flipping him off."

"Edward then pulled a gun from a holster on his hip and pointed the gun at [the victim], telling her to back off. [The victim] was in fear of being seriously injured or killed. [She] then jerked the steering wheel, lost control of her vehicle, struck the front of Edward's SUV, and slid across the roadway into a guardrail," the documents continued.

Umphenour's lawyer, however, asserted that the incident escalated solely due to the liberal-themed bumper stickers featured on the woman's minivan.

"It had nothing to do with driving behavior," said David Ransin, Umphenour's attorney, according to the Kansas City Star. "It was purely initiated by Mr. Burns and his disapproval of her exercise of her First Amendment rights with the bumper stickers."

A judge ruled Wednesday that insufficient evidence will prevent the case from proceeding, however.

According to Missouri law, the unlawful use of a weapon is considered a Class D felony, in most scenarios. The act is punishable by serving one day to one year in jail. However, such action could also result in a prison sentence of up to 4 years and a fine that doesn't exceed more than $5,000.