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May 29, 2025
Gov. Gianforte Keeps Delivering 2A Wins for Montana
Montana’s Gov. Greg Gianforte made it known early on in his administration that he’d respect hunting and recreational shooting traditions in his state and would revere the Second Amendment. After all, those priorities run deep through generations for families and residents in Big Sky country.
The governor has made good on his word. Firearm traditions and the industry that provides for the means to exercise those Second Amendment rights have been front and center throughout the governor’s time as the state’s top executive. There’s nothing that demonstrates that will be changing any time soon.
The latest bill signed into law by Gov. Gianforte is proof he’s working to bring even more Second Amendment enthusiasts to the state while he has one more term to do so.
World Class Facilities
Montana House Bill 899 was introduced by Montana state Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe to bring something special to Montana. The bill creates the Montana State Shooting Center Task Force, a state shooting complex and oversight taskforce which would be responsible for analyzing, discussing and recommending future opportunities and priorities for Montana public range development.
This formal process could mean bringing stakeholders together to devise a plan to develop and build world-class recreational shooting sports facilities in Montana to attract shooting enthusiasts from around the country. The bill passed through the legislature and Gov. Gianforte signed the bill into law in May.
If the proposals from the task force are carried through, it could be a boon for a state that is already ripe with hunting and recreational shooting sports opportunities. Montana is already home to more than 2,400 firearm industry-related jobs which drive an economic impact of more than $444 million. Gov. Gianforte understands the critical importance of the firearm industry to Montanans and their traditions and favored pastimes, and he continues to ensure those are protected for the next generation.
The legislation is mirrored after a similar task force set up in Montana’s neighbor to the south, Wyoming, where that state’s shooting sports complex project is a few steps ahead in a similar drive to attract shooting sports enthusiasts. Similar efforts are also in effect in South Dakota.
Track Record of Support
Signing HB 899 was natural for the governor. He supported the legislation through the debate, negotiation, and approval process by both chambers in the state’s legislature. He’s been an avid hunter and recreational shooter for decades. The governor has not only been a stalwart defender of the Second Amendment and the firearm industry as a whole, but has proactively gone out and made it known to industry officials that Montana is open for business and would welcome them with open arms. He’s made that very pitch to firearm industry businesses for years while attending NSSF’s SHOT Show® and participating in the NSSF Governors’ Forum repeatedly. He even spoke about how embracing the Second Amendment and campaigning on supporting that sacred right is a winning strategy.
At this year’s SHOT Show, the governor noted the big shift Montana has experienced in just the past 13 years. Today, as Gov. Gianforte noted, all nine state-wide elected offices are held by pro-Second Amendment Republicans.
“For those of you in bright blue states – there is hope,” Gov. Gianforte stated. “Montana is now home to over 150 firearms and ammunition manufacturers. We have more per capita than any other state in the country. We’re here at SHOT Show to thank the vendors who are investing in Montana – and to recruit more. Because we love our Second Amendment and we love our outdoor lifestyle.”
Earlier this month, Gov. Gianforte added his signature to another key piece of legislation that made it to his desk. He signed HB 791 into law on May 8, clarifying that the design, manufacturing, selling, labelling or marketing of firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition or its components, are not considered a public nuisance. Additionally, the new state law now preempts local municipal laws and ordinances from overriding state law. Gov. Gianforte’s signature on this law prevents the attempts to skirt the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) that has been witnessed in other states, more commonly recognized as gun control activists attempting to enact “lawfare” against firearm and ammunition businesses.
‘Come Back to America’
One of the more viral invites a governor has made in the ear of social media came in May. Gov. Gianforte took a shot across state lines in an effort to offer gun manufacturers a chance “to move back to America” after Colorado’s Gov. Jared Polis signed SB3, a law that bans the manufacturing, distributing, transferring, selling, or purchasing of Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs), unless a gun purchaser first obtains a permit-to-purchase the rifle.
In a viral video message to Colorado firearm industry members, the governor said, “If you needed another sign Democrat governors are out of touch with reality, well here it is. Colorado is ranked in the top 10 states with the biggest gun industry,” Gov. Gianforte explained. “But the Democrat governor of Colorado signed into law one of the most restrictive gun bans ever adopted in the United States. The law bans the manufacturing and selling of semiautomatic firearms. This is on top of the liberal state’s existing ban on high-capacity magazines. That’s just crazy. So, to all gun manufacturers in Colorado, my question to you is simple. Do you want to move back to America?”
The governor is making it crystal clear – with his past actions and his recent bill signings to enact pro-Second Amendment, pro-firearm industry legislation – he’s a gun guy and is making no apologies about it.
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