UPDATED: Kansas Republican Suggests Shooting Illegal Immigrants From Helicopters

The Lawrence Journal World reports:

A legislator said Monday it might be a good idea to control illegal immigration the way the feral hog population has been controlled -- with hunters shooting from helicopters.

State Rep. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro, said he was just joking, but that his comment did reflect frustration with the problem of illegal immigration.

Peck made his comment came during a discussion by the House Appropriations Committee on state spending for controlling feral swine.

After one of the committee members talked about a program that uses hunters in helicopters to shoot wild swine, Peck suggested that may be a way to control illegal immigration.

Kansas politics blog Dome On The Range has the quote and the audio:

It looks like to me if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works maybe we have found a [solution] to our illegal immigration problem.

Listen:

Peck declined to apologize for his comment, telling the Journal World, "I was just speaking like a southeast Kansas person." 

UPDATE: Despite his lack of remorse yesterday, Peck issued a formal apology this afternoon. "My statements yesterday were regrettable. Please accept my apology," he said in a written statement. As the Lawrence Journal World notes, "Peck's apology was released less than one hour after Gov. Sam Brownback, also a Republican, said Peck should apologize."