Keith Ditto won the U.S. Open High All Around Championship at the 2026 ATA U.S. Open in Sparta, Illinois, while teammate Dagen Voigtman claimed multiple titles including the White Flyer Doubles Championship and Winchester Singles Championship. Both competitors performed exceptionally with Winchester AA target loads.

Shell Shock Technologies sponsored shooter John Vlieger won first place in the Carry Optics Division and second overall at the 2026 Ohio State Buckeye Blast, earning 96.74% of available points using Shell Shock Technologies' NAS³ cases. Vlieger will compete next at the 2026 Bluegrass State Championship in Kentucky.

Team Beretta's JJ Racaza won the 2026 Handgun & PCC Puerto Rico Extreme Cup, an IPSC Level III match, competing with the Beretta 92X Performance. This marks his second major Level III victory in 2026, following his earlier Xtreme Open win in Florida.

Hornady shooter Lauryl Akenhead won Top Lady honors at the Colemans Creek NRL Hunter match in Ellerbe, North Carolina, using Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor 140 gr. Match ammo and placing 4th overall in the Open Heavy division.

The Briefing is a three-day FFL Compliance Summit in Dallas featuring ATF leadership including Director Rob Cekada and Chief Counsel Robert Leider, alongside FBI officials and industry experts. The event covers regulatory changes, Form 4473 revisions, and NFA requirements with direct Q&A access to government speakers.

Orchid released its annual ranking of the top 30 largest U.S. firearm manufacturers based on ATF data, showing Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and Sig Sauer leading the market. The top 30 manufacturers accounted for 8.4 million of 9.6 million firearms produced domestically in 2024, with notable movements including Empire Precision Plastics entering the top 30 and Mossberg securing its fifth consecutive year as the top shotgun manufacturer.

Mid-States Distributing, a leading Farm, Ranch, and Home retail organization representing approximately 700 independent stores, is seeking a Category Director – Sporting Goods to oversee Hunting, Shooting Sports, Fishing, and Camping categories. The role reports to COO Jeff Rash and requires 10 years' sporting goods experience with 5+ years in leadership.

Kinsey Brands is hiring a Director of Brands to oversee its consumer brand portfolio, manage multi-channel sales strategies, guide product development, and lead supply chain operations. The role requires strong analytical skills and experience managing relationships with mass merchants, distributors, and international accounts.

Smith & Wesson is hiring a Director of Procurement in Maryville, TN to oversee procurement and supply chain management across Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Maine locations. The role requires 10+ years of procurement experience, including 5+ years in leadership, with expertise in firearms manufacturing and strong supplier relationship management skills.

Hawke Optics announces the redesigned Vantage HD 30 riflescopes featuring System H2 optics with 11-layer multi-coating and improved clarity. Available in three models with various reticle options, these scopes include Zero-Stop turrets, illuminated reticles, and Hawke's No-Fault Lifetime warranty.

Carter Andrews, host of "The Obsession of Carter Andrews," was featured on episode #32 of the Fly Fisherman Loop to Loop podcast with Editor/Publisher Ross Purnell. Andrews discussed his fishing career, conservation concerns, and his upcoming hour-long series "Gone Fishing with Carter Andrews" premiering July 6 on Outdoor Channel.

MDT is releasing a limited quantity numbered run of the ACC Premier Gen2 chassis in War-Torn Bronze finish for Remington 700 Short Action, available exclusively at mdttac.com beginning June 9, 2025. The competition chassis features the SRS-X Premier Buttstock and is designed for PRS and precision rifle shooting.

Stealth Cam announces the availability of its Fusion MAX 3.0 Cellular Trail Camera, featuring a 100-foot detection range, 42MP photos, 1080P video with audio, and 0.4-second trigger speed. The camera transmits images and video in real time via the Command app and is compatible with FieldMAX Lithium Rechargeable Batteries and solar accessories.

Iron Valley Supply and Colt are releasing an exclusive serialized 1911 Classic Government Model featuring gold embellishments commemorating America's 250th Anniversary and the Declaration of Independence. The limited-edition pistols are available through IronValleySupply.com.

Vortex announced a limited-edition collaboration with Hunter Constantine featuring the Vortex Constantine Carry Belt, with only 250 units available. A portion of proceeds benefits the Second Amendment Foundation to support constitutional freedoms.

Galco unveils the Combat Master 2.0 belt holster for Glock 43X, available with or without carry optic accommodation. The professional-grade pancake holster features hand-molded premium steerhide construction, raised sweat guard, and twin belt slots for enhanced comfort and concealment.

Orion Wholesale and Colt's Manufacturing Company have partnered to release the Colt America 250 commemorative set, featuring a Colt Python, Colt 1911 Classic Government, and Colt King Cobra 22. Only 250 sequentially numbered sets will be produced, each with custom engraving, a walnut display case, and Certificate of Authenticity.

Team Beretta achieved multiple podium finishes at the 2026 World Speed Shooting Championship in Talladega, Alabama. Salvador Luna won the Production Division World Championship title with the Beretta APX A1 Full Size and secured second-place finishes in Carry Optics and Limited Divisions. Cameron Templin earned third-place finishes in Carry Optics and Limited Optics Divisions with the Beretta 92 Elite LTT.

Shell Shock Technologies and CBC Global Ammunition will formally commemorate their Memorandum of Understanding at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris on June 15, 2026. The partnership focuses on industrializing and commercializing SST's proprietary NAS3™ lightweight ammunition technology across military, law enforcement, and commercial markets worldwide.

D&M Holding Company, the global leader in ammunition, primer, and propellant manufacturing solutions, will exhibit at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris, France, June 15-19. The company, along with subsidiary White River Energetics, will showcase its comprehensive manufacturing capabilities in Booth #D309 in the USA Pavilion.

Shooting USA features coverage of the largest national championship for United States Practical Shooting Association divisions including Carry Optics, Production, Single Stack, and Revolver at Cardinal Shooting Center in Ohio. The episode airs Wednesday on Outdoor Channel and The Sportsman Canada Channel.

It’s the same story all over again. Montana voters, who overwhelmingly revere their Second Amendment rights and rich hunting traditions, again rejected one of the more outspoken proponents for gun control as he tried again to win their approval and elected office.

Ryan Busse, the former firearm industry executive who’s now a staunch gun control activist working for GIFFORDS Courage to Fight Gun Violence, tried to sell his “I support the Second Amendment, but …” position to Montana voters to secure the Democratic nomination for the open Congressional seat following U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke’s (R-Mont.) announcement that he will not seek reelection in November.

Montana voters said, “No thanks — we’re just not that into you.”

In the Democratic primary for the First District Congressional seat, Montana voters kicked Busse to the curb and instead chose Sam Forstag as their nominee.

Rejection on Repeat

For Busse, this wasn’t the first time Montana voters turned him down. He thought he could win over Montana voters in his run for the governor’s mansion. But he lost his gubernatorial bid to Gov. Greg Gianforte by nearly 20 percent. Montana voters roundly rejected his platform that included implementing strict gun control laws like banning Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) — highly popular in the Big Sky State among both men and women.

It doesn’t take a political genius to recognize that’s a really tough position to sell to voters in the state with the highest percentage of gun owners per capita in the entire country.

For his part, the outgoing Rep. Zinke has been a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and firearm industry that makes the exercise of those Constitutional rights to keep and bear arms possible for tens of millions of Americans. Rep. Zinke earned an A+ in the 2024 NSSF Congressional Report Card. In that regard, Rep. Zinke and Busse were already as far apart on Second Amendment issues as Montana is wide.

Busse, on the other hand, spent 25 years working for a firearm manufacturer, during which span they produced more than 2.3 million rifles, pistols and revolvers. After that, he did a 180 and went and took a hefty paycheck from the national gun control group GIFFORDS. THe national gun control group still has the press release up announcing Busse was joining as a “senior advisor,” and he parlayed that role into multiple television appearances and media opportunities to push an antigun agenda more in line with Fudds than true Montana ranchers and outdoorsmen and women. He hawked his self flagellating book that was just Busse marketing Busse about his supposed “Saul-to-Paul” conversion to gun control.

It wasn’t surprising then that many Montana voters rejected him once again. It’s time he put his political ambitions out to pasture.

Clear Choice Ahead

With Busse’s loss in the Democratic primary, the general election is now a contest between the U.S. Sen. Benie Sanders (I-Vt.), and U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)-endorsed Democrat candidate Forstag, and a Republican whom many Montanans already know well.

Aaron Flint secured the Republican nomination and will face Forstag in November. Flint is endorsed by current Montana Republican Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy. Flint even received the endorsement of President Donald Trump once he announced he was running to fill Rep. Zinke’s seat. He’s a retired Lieutenant Colonel and a decorated combat veteran as well, having spent more than 20 years serving in the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve. During his service, Flint led combat patrols in Iraq and Afghanistan and he later joined special operations units supporting counterterrorism missions in Africa and the Middle East. He also received two Bronze Star medals during his service.

Needless to say, Montana voters already know Flint is a solid Second Amendment supporter. They will recognize his voice as the long-time radio host on Montana Talks, a talk radio where he discusses relevant political and current issues. In that role, Flint has been a longtime and repeated media attendee at NSSF’s SHOT Show^® in Las Vegas.

Flint is public and proud of his staunch support for the Second Amendment.

With no U.S. Senate or governor races this fall, voters in Montana’s First Congressional district will have their attention squarely focused on the Flint v. Forstag race, with the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives up for grabs. Montanans in the First District will have the stark choice between a hard left progressive or a candidate who supports the Second Amendment.

With Busse’s track record of losing twice before while running on gun control, Montana voters will have yet another opportunity to reject it again.

– Larry Keane

Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.