Montana senators hear resolution urging university system to support collegiate shooting sports

The Senate Education Committee heard testimony on Senate Joint Resolution 7, sponsored by Senator John Fuller, which urges the Montana university system and Board of Regents to support collegiate shooting-sports opportunities on campus.

Sponsor John Fuller told the committee the resolution is meant to "stimulate and inform the board of regents" that there is student interest in shooting sports and to help keep Montana shooters in-state for collegiate competition.

Proponents emphasized facility availability, volunteer support and student demand. Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, said Montana has extensive range infrastructure and local clubs willing to partner with universities. "We're a very gunny place here in Montana," Marbut said, arguing that a university-level push could keep talented athletes in-state rather than sending them to other states.

Students, coaches and campus representatives described the sport as broadly popular and largely self-organized: Jason Herndon, a longtime junior-shooting coach, said he had no incident statistics to offer but described a strong safety culture in youth programs. Galen Hollenbaugh, deputy commissioner for government relations and communications at the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE), said campuses can organize shooting activities in multiple ways—from informal student clubs to NCAA/NAIA-level programs—and urged local campus decision-making.

No opponents registered for the hearing. Committee members asked about safety records, campus capacity and whether the resolution would be mainly symbolic; proponents said data on incidents was limited and the resolution’s purpose is to signal interest and encourage campus-level exploration.

The committee closed the hearing on SJ 7 with the sponsor urging passage of a nonbinding resolution to inform university policymakers; no formal action was taken at the hearing.