U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., has filed a federal lawsuit against an Idaho ammunition company, alleging that defective rifle rounds manufactured by Freedom Munitions injured him on two separate occasions. Sheehy says the company acknowledged problems with its .308 cartridges but has declined to issue a recall, leaving the rounds on the market.
Sheehy, who spoke to a joint session of the Montana Legislature in February, is a combat veteran and rancher who has been publicly associated with firearms and outdoor pursuits since his 2024 Senate campaign. The lawsuit does not name a Montana venue — it was filed in federal court — but it puts one of Montana's highest-profile officeholders in an unusual position: a sitting U.S. senator as a personal-injury plaintiff against a private manufacturer.
The core of Sheehy's claim is that Freedom Munitions knew its product was defective and failed to act. According to the lawsuit, the company was put on notice about the problem but chose not to recall the ammunition, a decision Sheehy's filing characterizes as a refusal rather than an oversight. The injuries are described as having occurred while Sheehy was using the rounds, though specific details about the nature and severity of the injuries were not immediately available from the initial reporting.
Freedom Munitions, based in Idaho, produces ammunition marketed to sport shooters and hunters — a significant customer base in Montana. The case is pending in federal court. A spokesperson for Sheehy's Senate office had not issued a public statement beyond the lawsuit filing as of the initial reports.