In the wide-open spaces of Montana—where grizzlies roam, elk hunts are a rite of passage, and the Second Amendment is practically etched into the state constitution—gun control advocate Ryan Busse is making a bold play for Congress. Once a high-ranking executive at Kimber America, a respected firearms manufacturer, Busse flipped the script years ago, jumping ship to Giffords and Everytown for Gun Safety. Now, he’s announced his candidacy for Montana’s 2nd Congressional District, backed by the very groups hell-bent on restricting the tools Montanans rely on for self-defense, hunting, and sporting. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is sounding the alarm, warning that this industry turncoat could infiltrate the halls of power with insider knowledge weaponized against the very industry he once championed.
Busse’s backstory is a masterclass in betrayal: as Kimber’s VP of Sales, he helped build the company’s success selling precision rifles and pistols to everyday Americans and enthusiasts alike. But disillusionment—or opportunism—led him to pen a tell-all book, *Gunfight*, painting the industry as profit-hungry villains while cozying up to Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun machine. In gun-loving Big Sky Country, where Biden’s ATF rule grabs already sparked massive backlash and Montana’s GOP supermajority just passed constitutional carry, Busse’s run is less a campaign and more a Trojan horse. He’s banking on his former insider cred to peel off moderate 2A voters, but his platform reeks of the same tired restrictions: assault weapon bans, red-flag laws, and universal background checks that ignore rural realities like spotty internet and doctor shortages.
For the 2A community, this is a wake-up call louder than a suppressed .300 Blackout. Montana’s 2nd District flipped red in 2022 with Matt Rosendale crushing his opponent by double digits, proving Big Sky voters don’t take kindly to coastal gun-grabbers. Busse’s bid tests whether industry defectors can launder their past into political viability, potentially inspiring copycats in red states like Wyoming or Idaho. Pro-2A warriors need to flood the zone: amplify NSSF’s warnings, dig into his donor list (spoiler: it’s a who’s who of hoplophobes), and rally behind a true defender. If Busse wins, it’s not just one seat—it’s a blueprint for anti-gunners to poach from within. Time to lock and load the vote.
