Those Lost to the Gun Community in 2025
From international competitors and actors who made six-guns forever iconic to pioneering inventors and household names in the firearms industry, here is a look at those lost to us in 2025.
Lubos Adamec– Czech sport shooter who competed at the Summer Olympics in 1988 and 1992 in mixed skeet. He won three silver and a bronze medal at the European Individual Championships, as well as eight medals in team competitions at the World Championships. He died in September, aged 66.
Joe Don Baker– Iconic Texas-born actor and Army veteran who appeared in at least three different Bond films, “Guns of the Magnificent Seven,” “Walking Tall,” “Mars Attacks!” “Cape Fear,” and others. He passed in May at the age of 89.
Frank R. Brownell III– The only son of Brownells founder Bob and his wife Lois, Frank grew up in Iowa and became involved in both the family business and the American gun industry at an early age, spending six decades with the company, with breaks to serve in the Navy and attend the University of Iowa. He passed in June, just shy of his 86th birthday.
Lino Cerati – The Italian sports shooter known for competing in the 1976 Summer Olympics, died in November, aged 87.
Wiley Clapp – A Virginia Military Institute alum (Class of 57) and Marine officer who saw heavy combat in Vietnam, Clapp went on to spend a career in law enforcement before he started writing for Gun World in 1986. Since then, he penned hundreds of articles in numerous firearms publications as well as at least two books. Ruger produced the special edition Wiley Clapp GP100 revolver with his input, while Colt’s introduced the Wiley Clapp CCO (Concealed Carry Officers) 1911-style pistol. He passed in June at home, aged 90.
Jimmy Cliff – Jamaican reggae and ska legend known for his amazing cover of Guns of Brixton and, notably, for on-screen S&W wielding in the 1986 Robin Williams comedy “Club Paradise.” He died in November at the age of 81.
Trevan Clough – Represented Papua New Guinea in trap at the 1976 and 1984 Summer Olympics. He passed at 82.
Gunther Danne – German sports shooter who represented West Germany in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He passed in October, aged 82.
Philip H. Dater – The New York-born Dater, a radiologist and Vietnam-era U.S. Air Force veteran known as a founding figure in modern firearm suppressor innovation, started designing suppressors in the 1950s, later “dabbling off-hours in his hospital’s machine shop” before going on to found first the Automatic Weapons Company (AWC) and later Gemini Technologies, today’s Gemtech. A true mentor and pioneer in the field of suppressor development, Dr. Dater died in January, aged 87.
Earl Herring – Maryland-born sports shooter who competed on the U.S. team in the skeet event at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He passed in June, aged 93.
John Brewster “JB” Hodgdon — Well-known member of the firearms community and lifelong resident of Kansas, JB was a staple of the Hodgdon Powder Company for five decades and passed in June at the age of 88.
Val Kilmer – The California-born actor was famous to gun nerds everywhere for his roles as Doc Holliday in “Tombstone” and Chris Shiherlis in “Heat,” among dozens of other iconic appearances. He passed in April, aged 65, but his films will live forever.
John Kopec – Noted firearms historian and author who penned several top-shelf books and collector’s magazine articles on 19th-century martial Colt single-actions. He passed in February, aged 97.
William Theodore “Ted” Kotcheff – Canadian-Bulgarian director and producer who brought the movie “First Blood” (1982), the first in the Rambo series, to life. He also directed “Wake in Fright” (1971), “Uncommon Valor” (1983), and “The Shooter” (1995). He passed in April, aged 94.
Andreas Kronthaler – Austrian sports shooter who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Kronthaler died in March 2025, at the age of 73.
Robert “Bob” Nosler – A Vietnam-era Navy veteran, Nosler joined the family business as its sixth employee and spent four decades leading the now legendary Oregon-based manufacturer of bullets, cartridge cases, ammunition, firearms, and suppressors. The Chairman of the company that bears his family name passed in September, at the age of 79.
Sam Paredes – A formidable defender of the Constitution and 2A legend, Paredes dedicated 40 years of his life to Gun Owners of California– the oldest pro-gun political action committee in the country– and was a longtime board member of Gun Owners of America and the Gun Owners Foundation. He passed in August, aged 68, and was a friend and mentor to many in the fight for gun rights in the country.
Yevgeni Petrov – Perhaps the best known Russian skeet shooter, having earned a Gold in the 1968 Summer Olympics and a Silver in the 1972 games, passed in Moscow in November at the age of 87. He was a six-time world champion and coached the Russian clay team at the 1992 Olympics.
Athos Pisoni – Brazilian sports shooter who won gold in skeet in the 1975 Pan Am Games and represented his country at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He passed in February, aged 87.
Olegario Vázquez Rana – Renowned Spanish-born Mexican competitive shooter who competed in every Olympics from 1964 to 1976 and world championships from 1966 to 1979, setting numerous world records. Among other offices, he served as President of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) for over 30 years. He died in March, aged 89.
Hans Kjeld Rasmussen – Danish sport shooter and Olympic champion who won the gold in skeet at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Rasmussen died in February, aged 70.
Phil Robertson – The professional waterfowler, inventor, and outspoken “Duck Commander” founder passed away in May, aged 79.
Michael Sabbeth – The Denver-based lawyer and lecturer wrote several books as well as numerous articles on hunting and shooting, with his work appearing in “Safari Magazine,” “The Double Gun Journal,” “Sporting Classics,” and “Claying Shooting USA,” among others. His blog, “The Honorable Hunter,” endures. He passed in November, aged 78.
Alan Simpson – The Wyoming politician and longtime Senate Republican Whip and Army veteran also served on the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Board of Trustees for over 50 years and was instrumental in bringing the Winchester Collection to Cody and helping build the Center into the “Smithsonian of the West.” He passed in March, aged 93.
John Taffin – Authored five books and over 500 published articles in the pages of “Guns,” “Gun Digest,” “Sixgunner,” “Shoot!” and “American Handgunner,” going back to 1967, while he clocked in on his day job as a math teacher. The legend, when it came to six-guns and cowboy action shooting, passed in March, aged 85.
Martin Tuason – The President and CEO of Armscor and Rock Island Armory, Tuason passed in November, aged 51, after leading the companies since 2012. Besides expanding the company’s footprint around the globe, he will also be remembered as the “T” in the innovative .22 TCM cartridge.
Ed Williams – After service in the U.S. Navy, Williams spent a career as a speech teacher at LA City College before moving into being a character actor and comedian in the 1980s, starring in “Police Squad!” and the “Naked Gun” franchise, among others. He died in October at the age of 98.
Going past these esteemed members of the firearms community at large, we also note the closing of a number of gun companies, including Anderson Manufacturing, DelTon, Kalashnikov USA, Pioneer Arms, and SCCY.
And so, we remember.
