Delivering ‘a new brand for Montana,’ Ryan Busse slams Gianforte’s dangerous leadership
KALISPELL, Mont. – Delivering “a new brand for Montana,” former firearms executive Ryan Busse today announced his bid for governor to protect the Last Best Place from Greg Gianforte’s dangerous, failed leadership.
Busse’s new campaign website, busseformontana.com, features a hard-hitting video taking Governor Gianforte to task for raising property taxes on Montana families, making housing unaffordable, threatening basic freedoms and women’s rights, defunding public schools, and even suing to block the people of Montana from their public river access.
“My Montana is a place where hardworking people make a good living for themselves, raise their kids with equal opportunity,” Busse, a former Republican, says in the video. “Unfortunately the Montana that I love, and that my kids have been raised in, is being threatened right now. It pisses me off that Greg Gianforte just wants to sell this state to his rich buddies and turn it into a playground so only they can afford to live and play here.”
Busse, 53, helped build the gun company Kimber from Kalispell between 1995 and 2020. Over his 25-year career as Vice President of Sales, Busse directed the sales of nearly three million Kimber firearms. In 2021 Busse published a memoir about standing up to “the industry that radicalized America.”
“I’m running to fight for freedom, fairness and common sense while liars, cheats, bozos, billionaires and actual fascists are unraveling American Democracy in front of our eyes, and we should all be terrified of their anti-freedom agenda for our Montana and our country,” Busse said. “Greg Gianforte is the problem. He’s already raised your taxes, ignored the high cost of housing, lied to Montanans, and even went jet-setting in Italy while Montanans had to deal with record-breaking floods. He’s just getting started.”
Busse, his wife Sara, and their two teenage sons are avid, lifetime hunters and anglers.
Busse’s video features his family shooting clay pigeons near their home in Kalispell. In it, Busse says political opponents will distort his position on guns, warning, “they’re gonna lie and say we can’t shoot.”
“Let it fly,” Busse’s 15-year-old son replies before obliterating the target in mid-air.
QUICK FACTS:
- Pronunciation: Ryan BUSS’-ee
- Home: Kalispell, Mont.
- Office Sought: Governor of Montana
- Affiliation: Democrat
- Website: busseformontana.com
- X (Twitter): @ryandbusse
- DOB: 2/23/70 (53)
- Occupation: Writer, Consultant, Firearms Expert and Former Executive (Vice President of Sales, Kimber America: 1995-2020)
- Family: Married to Sara for 24 years; two sons: Lander (18) and Badge (15)
- Alma Mater: Bethany College (Kansas)
- Chevy Odometer: 280,000 miles
- Hunting Dogs: Aldo and Teddy
- Bio: Ryan Busse is an author and former firearms executive who helped build the gun company Kimber from Kalispell between 1995 and 2020. Over his 25-year career Busse directed the sales of nearly three million Kimber firearms. His memoir, Gunfight: My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America, was published by PublicAffairs (Hachette) in 2021. Busse was born near the Kansas cattle ranch homesteaded by his great-grandfather. He is an avid hunter, angler and champion of public lands, and has held leadership positions with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Montana Conservation Voters. Busse and his wife Sara live in Kalispell and have two teenage sons.