At the Governors’ Forum during the 2026 SHOT Show, the eight governors present answered questions about how they could counter attacks against rights protected by the Second Amendment and against the firearms and associated industry. After the introduction by NSSF Larry Keane and remarks by White House Counsel David Warrington, the moderator, Shermichael Singleton, directed questions to the governors.
Nevada Governor Lombardo was asked about the Cyberattack that paralysed Nevada gun store sales for more than two weeks. Governor Lombardo gave a detailed explanation. It was the internal state systems that were hacked. No ransom was paid. The lesson learned was: Do not silo all systems into a single domain.
Governor Sanders of Arkansas praised the firearms and ammunition industry and mentioned her sons love of hunting and fishing vs staring at screens. She stated hunting and fishing are not the most important thing. Governor Sanders said:
If you do not have the right to bear arms, then all of the rights you enjoy can easily be taken away.
Governor Rhoden of South Dakota mentioned the passage of a bill last year to disallow the coding of firearms on credit card purchases and his support for deregulation of silencers. Governor Rhoden said:
Its the Left who, by any means possible, want to eliminate our Second Amendment rights.
Governor Gianforte of Montana talked of his program to convince firearms and ammunition manufacturers to move from Colorado to Montana. From the Governor:
So I personally cold called all the major manufacturers in Colorado, and my message was simple: Do you want to move back to America?
Wyoming Governor Gordon spoke about the purpose of the commerce clause in the United State Constitution is to prevent individual states from impeding commerce between the states. This should apply to the firearms industry. From Governor Gordon:
“That’s one of the very few things the federal government is supposed to do is to make sure that Arkansas can’t cut off Wyoming.Not that you would…” (speaking to Governor Sanders of Arkansas)
Governor Pillen of Nebraska was asked about the unicameral legislative system in Nebraska. Governor Pillen spoke of how important it was to do the right thing instead of what was required to be re-elected. He spoke of the importance of reducing regulation:
“We have to keep getting government out of our hair.” “I have not met a Nebraskan yet who wants to be told what to do.”
Governor Little of Idaho talked about the need to educate a labor force for the recreational industry in rural Idaho.
“You don’t over tax them, you don’t over regulate them, if you give them the labor force they need, they will thrive.”
The moderator, Shermichael Singleton, did an excellent job of controlling the forum. The governors were all from Red (Republican) states. The forum was limited to an hour. The governors could have each taken up the whole hour, so distributing time among them was an important job.
There was friendly banter among the governors about who had the best business climate, the best hunting, the best parties and the best bourbon. A major theme of the forum was the necessity of limiting federal power and using state power to counter the attack on rights protected by the Second Amendment. As expected, there was little disagreement on the necessity of doing so.
Governor Gianforte of Montana reminded everyone to remember there have been difficult times in the United State before, and we have managed to keep the Republic. He used the term “chronological snobbery”. Maintaining the Republic has always been a difficult task. From the Governor:
The availability of social media and the insincerity of our main stream media has amplified the divisions that exist between us. For my part I try not to exacerbate those differences and focus on those things we have in common.
Governor Rhoden of South Dakota said they are looking to find ways to roll back regulations by the federal government, and the current administration offers a window of opportunity to do so.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
