By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
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.
An email from past American Handgunner Editor Roy Huntington revealed much about Venturino’s career with that magazine and its sibling publication, GUNS.
“I hired Mike away from G&A/Shooting Times,” Huntington recalled, “then worked with him over the years. I’ve known him since the late 90s. We used to share many calls just talking about gun stuff. He was the kindest, gentlest soul I think I ever knew. Not a mean spot in him anywhere. He loved old guns of all sorts, dogs, his wife Yvonne and writing. Yvonne took all his photos and patiently helped him over the decades of their marriage.
“He set out from college graduation in the middle 70s to “become a gun’riter” and is the only fellow I know who was a full time gun writer since college. He set out to do it, and did it.”
Huntington and others who knew Venturino have described him as “one of the kindest fellows I’ve ever known.”
As word of his passing spread across social media, tributes began showing up. It was clear Mr. Venturino had countless followers and admirers across the U.S. Many of his fellow firearms writers remembered him on Facebook.
“Anyone that knows Colt SAAs and Sharps rifles knows of Duke Venturino,” said veteran writer Phil Spangenberger. “We hunted together years ago. A good friend and an incredibly knowledgeable and likable fellow. RIP amigo.”
Writer Garry James concurred, “A long-time friend and colleague. I’ll miss Duke immensely.”
In a loving column about his wife in American Handgunner headlined “The Gal Behind The Lens,” Venturino told of a lifelong partner in his career, which not only included more than 2,000 articles, but also books he authored about shooting. Mike and Yvonne were married in 1978 and they remained together for 46 years.
In addition to his fascination to with 19th Century guns and gear, he and Yvonne participated in Cowboy Action shooting, and also amassed a collection of WWII firearms, about which he sometimes wrote.
Perhaps it is best summed up by one observation: “We are all diminished.”
