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July 16, 2025
NSSF PROFILE Q&A: U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio)
Editor’s Note: We are pleased to post the latest of our occasional Q&A features with an elected official who supports hunting and the shooting sports. NSSF thanks U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) for speaking with us about his staunch support for the Second Amendment, hunting and recreational target shooting and the importance of the firearm and ammunition industry to his constituents in the Buckeye State.
Sen. Husted previously served as the Lieutenant Governor in Ohio from 2019-2025 and is now currently in his first term representing Ohio in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Husted sits on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship; the Committee on Environment and Public Works; and the Special Committee on Aging. We thank Sen. Husted for speaking with us.
1) Who introduced you to hunting and shooting sports, and why are hunting and the shooting sports important to you in your job representing Ohio?
My dad. It started with a BB Gun when I was five, then came a single-shot 20-gauge I bought with my dad and with my own money when I was 12. I shot my first deer when I was 14 with an old single-shot 12-gauge, just 40 minutes into my first hunt. This was just part of our life growing up in rural Ohio.
2) What was your most recent shooting sports/hunting experience?
I hunt white-tailed deer every fall, which is a beautiful time of the year to be outside in Ohio. I harvested a solid 9-point buck with a drop tine in October. However, the best hunt was when my daughter Katie, who was 14 at the time, harvested a huge 12-point buck. It was, and remains, the biggest deer in the family.
3) Describe your favorite shooting sports or hunting activity.
I enjoy deer hunting—usually with a crossbow—with my daughters. It’s a peaceful way to spend time with them away from technology and the busyness of our lives. There’s nothing better than experiencing Ohio’s natural beauty with my family—and then eating venison together for dinner afterwards. Our freezer is always full of venison and some Lake Erie walleye. That’s the way we do it around the Husted household!.
4) Which piece of pending legislation related to the conservation, hunting and the firearm industry is particularly important to you and why?
I’m cosponsoring the Constitutional Carry Reciprocity Act (S. 65), which would allow people with concealed carry privileges in their home state to exercise those rights in other states with concealed carry laws. This bill would treat state-issued concealed carry permits like drivers’ licenses. Americans can already use their home state’s drivers’ license to drive in other states while following the speed limit and road laws of the states they’re visiting. This bill would simply ensure that Americans can enjoy their Second Amendment rights the same way.
I’ve also joined the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act (S. 478), which would prevent veterans from losing their right to purchase firearms just because they get help managing their VA benefits. Our men and women who’ve served shouldn’t lose their liberties as they pursue the VA benefits they’ve earned.
5) What do you see as the challenges and opportunities for hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts?
I’m grateful to have a president back in the White House who embraces Second Amendment rights instead of vilifying law-abiding Americans. The Second Amendment safeguards the First Amendment. For four years, the Biden administration eroded the rights of responsible gun owners, sellers and manufacturers by weighing the industry and gun owners down with regulations. I look forward to working alongside the Trump administration to responsibly reduce restrictions that don’t make communities safer and to uphold the American right to bear arms.
You may also be interested in:
Gov. Newsom Respects the Second Amendment? Not for a Hot Second.
Missouri Hunters Seek to Expand Allowable Use of Thermal Imagery and Night Vision
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