Veteran and well-known gun writer Mike “Duke” Venturino died Sunday, June 9, at his home in Livingston, Montana, following a brief illness related due to complications from heart disease. Venturino was a long-time contributor to GUNS and American Handgunner magazines as well as many other publications. He got his start more than 50 years ago writing for Guns & Ammo and Shooting Times. He wrote about his love for his work and his good fortune finding his calling in life in an article called “50 Years of Gun ‘Ritin’” published on GUNS website in 2021.
Editor in Chief Dave Workman, who knew Venturino, wrote on the writer’s passing on The GunMag:
The passing of veteran gun writer and shooting authority Mike “Duke” Venturino on Sunday, June 9, has stunned and saddened the firearms community.
Mr. Venturino, known to legions of readers and his colleagues as “Duke,” both educated and entertained a couple of generations of shooters, from his early days writing for Guns and Ammo and Shooting Times to his work over the past several years as a regular at American Handgunner and GUNS magazines, where his depth and breadth of knowledge about all kinds of firearms made him not only an authority, but a grand storyteller.
He passed away at his home in Livingston, Montana following a brief illness, according to GUNS Editor Brent Wheat.
As a testament to Venturino’s dedication to his readers, Wheat noted in a statement Monday, “One of the last communications I had with Mike was regarding his monthly column deadline. He was fighting the battle for his life, but he was worried about missing his deadline.
“What an amazing professional; there is no way to fill the void he leaves our magazines or the shooting world in general. Mike’s FMG family is keeping his wife Yvonne, Mike’s family, friends and countless fans in our thoughts,” Wheat said.
A native of West Virginia, Venturino was a journalism graduate of Marshall University, which was evident in his skilled writing. His writing career began back in the 1970s, which translates to virtually a half-century of work in a field where there is no substitute for expertise.
Read the complete story on Venturino’s passing on The GunMag and on American Handgunner’s websites.
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