Bob Owens, longtime Second Amendment advocate, dies at 46

Bob Owens, a longtime Second Amendment advocate and editor of the website Bearing Arms, was found dead Monday in North Carolina. He was 46.

Leading with an item titled, "We Are Diminished," Bearing Arms co-editor Jenn Jacques on Tuesday expressed "deep regret and profound sorrow" that Owens' "life came to a tragic end."

"We did not make an announcement on Bearing Arms because it was more important to us to give the family a day to grieve than to break the story and get clicks," Jacques wrote, adding that Owens was "a huge part of the 2A world, he was first and foremost a son, brother, husband, father, and friend."

Police in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina — which is about 30 minutes south of Raleigh — found Robert Eugene Owens dead near an intersection stop sign with a gun nearby, the News & Observer reported.

TheBlaze confirmed the victim was Owens of Bearing Arms. Police are working to determine if Owens' death was a suicide or the result of foul play, town spokeswoman Susan Weis told the paper.

On Sunday, Owens posted about his progress on a book he was writing: "Three days left and 10,000 more words to finish 'The Deplorables Guide to Guns.' I got this."

Owens' last Facebook message was posted Monday:

Owens' Bearing Arms bio reads:

A long-time shooting enthusiast, Bob began blogging as a North Carolina native in New York at the politics-focused Confederate Yankee in 2004. In 2007, he began writing about firearms, gun rights, and crime at Pajamas Media, and added gun and gear reviews for Shooting Illustrated in 2010.

Bob is a graduate of roughly 400 hours of professional firearms training classes, including square range and force-on force work with handguns and carbines. He is a past volunteer instructor with Project Appleseed. He most recently received his Vehicle Close Quarters Combat Instructor certification from Centrifuge Training.

Conservative commentator and fellow Second Amendment advocate Katie Pavlich penned a tribute to Owens in Townhall on Tuesday.

"I didn't just work with Bob," Pavlich wrote. "He wasn't simply a colleague who I spent time with here and there. He was my friend."

She continued, "When I received the news of Bob's death Monday afternoon, I was in disbelief. Shortly after, complete sadness and grief took over. Then, devastation."

"I will remember Bob for all of the smiles he put on my face and the laughter he brought to those around him. He was an incredible friend with the kindest of hearts," Pavlich said. "He served as an important mentor to many and was an overwhelmingly positive influence in my life. I was blessed to know him and I will miss him dearly. Please keep his family in your prayers during this horribly difficult time."

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Owens' wife and two daughters.

Here's a video interview Owens did with National Rifle Association TV on preserving the Second Amendment: