I testified to Congress about the gun industry. It rattled me to my core | Ryan Busse

Gun-makers are openly marketing to - and perhaps even creating - the next generation of mass shooters, all in service of their bottom line

From 1995 to 2020, I worked for the firearms manufacturer Kimber. As the industry began to embrace extremism and conspiracy, I did what I could to fight back from the inside. When industry marketing celebrated armed vigilantism to sell guns, I left.

I'm still a proud gun owner who believes in responsibility. These days I use my platform to advocate for commonsense gun safety measures and call out dangerous and toxic marketing in the industry - which is why I was invited to testify before the US House committee on oversight and reform last week.

Ryan Busse is a former executive in the firearms industry who is now a senior policy adviser for Giffords. He is the author of Gunfight: My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America