On January 8th the 2019 session of the Minnesota State Legislature kicked off in St Paul and already, you and I are in the fight of our lives!
I had been working for days leading up to the start of session, talking with insiders as we finalized our legislative goals and targets for the year, along with finalizing the budget we will need to be effective.
But I have to tell you, I’ve made these battle plans at the beginning of session for several years now on behalf of Minnesota Gun Rights — and this year it’s different.
That’s because Governor Walz, Senator Ron Latz, and the DFL-controlled House have declared open warfare against our Second Amendment and gun owners like you who care about it.
Since the session kicked off in St. Paul, the attacks have been unlike anything we have faced here in Minnesota.
Site, allow me to be blunt. Without your action, I’m afraid that gun owners may lose significant Second Amendment freedoms during this 2019 session.
That’s why I am writing you today.
You see, I have to make a very difficult decision about where to focus our resources this session because the fight is coming from every direction.
And since this has always been a member-driven organization, I would greatly covet your advice on how to proceed.
That’s why I have prepared your 2019 Minnesota Gun Rights Membership Directive with this email. I’m counting on you to read this update and complete your directive RIGHT AWAY!
The fact is, without an IMMEDIATE infusion of funds to work with, I am afraid that we are going to have to make immediate cuts in our 2019 program — at a time when we need to fight harder than ever before!
You see, Governor Walz and Speaker Melissa Hortman have sworn that passing ‘Universal Background Checks’ is their number one priority for the 2019 session.
As you know, that radical gun control has already been introduced in the House by Rep Dave Pinto (HF8), and we expect Bloomberg’s Senator Ron Latz to introduce the Senate bill soon.
Don’t be fooled for a second by the spin from the media and lawmakers in St. Paul — these ‘harmless background checks’ are gun registrations, plain and simple.
After all, the ONLY way to enforce such a “universal background check” scheme in the first place is by building a database of gun owners.
And as you and I both know, registration is just the first step toward outright CONFISCATION.
Passage of this bill in our state is Michael Bloomberg’s number one goal, and his allies have been pushing for this for YEARS in St. Paul. In fact, we only defeated this bill in the Senate last year by ONE VOTE!
But it gets worse.
You see, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka has told the media that he is open to making some concessions on the Second Amendment in the upcoming session, and insiders tell us that it will be over this bill!
Even worse, we know that TWO Republican Senators, Scott Jensen and Paul Anderson, support passage of this legislation as they cosponsored this very bill last session — and only withdrew their support once they heard from hundreds and thousands of MGR members.
Either way you look at it, this is going to be a MAJOR FIGHT.
Of course, if this were all you and I had to worry about it would be bad enough.
But we know that ‘Red Flag Gun Seizure’ legislation has become a MASSIVE legislative battle in St. Paul this session.
This garbage gun-control bill has been introduced by Representative Ruth Richardson (HF9) and is already on the move!
Governor Walz can’t wait to pass it, and it will likely pass through the DFL-controlled House in the next few weeks given the size of their majorities.
That means that our shot at stopping this legislation must be made in the Senate.
As you just read, Senate Republican “Leadership” is openly talking about making a deal on gun control this session — and our sources are telling us that if we defeat ‘Universal Background Checks,’ the Republican caucus will concede on this bill.
Shamefully, Republicans are caving all over the country in support for this legislation.
Republican Governors Rick Scott (FL) and Bruce Rauner (IL) signed this bill into law last year, and Republican lawmakers in Iowa, Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee and others are trying to do the same thing this year.
If passed into law, ‘Red Flag Gun Seizure’ legislation would order government agents into your home to seize your guns even if you haven’t been arrested — much less convicted of anything!
Even worse, the way this bill is currently drafted, the hearing that determines whether or not you will be able to keep your firearms is “ex-parte,” meaning you would not even know about the hearing until they come for your firearms!
All it takes is someone to file a bogus complaint against you.
Maybe it’s your liberal neighbor who doesn’t like the pro-gun bumper sticker on your vehicle. Or maybe it’s your anti-gun college professor who simply hates gun owners.
Or maybe it’s a soon to be ex, looking to ruin you.
Of course, once your guns are seized, you’ll be spending weeks in court and thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees to try and get them back.
Simply put, it’s gun-confiscation through the destruction of the right to due process.
But sometimes the best defense is a strong offense.
And that’s why Minnesota Gun Rights will continue to fight for a roll call vote on Stand-Your-Ground law in 2019!
Without Stand-Your-Ground, many gun owners who use their firearms to fend off criminal attack often find they’re little more than sitting ducks for anti-gun judges and prosecutors.
And this is no idle threat.
Gun owners nationwide heard about the horrific treatment that a gun owner in nearby Iowa recently went through after being forced to defend himself in Des Moines.
Jay R. Lewis was a concealed carry permit holder, a former security officer and ex-law federal enforcement official who was run off the road and attacked on his way home from work by two thugs.
After using a gun to defend himself from the two criminals — one a felon with over 40 criminal convictions stretching back over 12 years –- Mr. Lewis spent 112 days in jail before finally being found innocent!
In the meantime, he lost his home and most of his possessions — including his gun collection.
I’m sure the gun-grabbers think to themselves, “that serves him right!”
After all, whenever some thug commits some horrific crime, don’t the gun-grabbers always rush to place blame — not on the criminals themselves — but on law-abiding gun owners?
So is it really any surprise they’ve written Minnesota law to protect criminals, madmen and Islamic radicals first — even when it’s your and your family’s safety at stake?
I don’t know about you, but I believe the law should put the interests of law-abiding Minnesota citizens ahead of thugs and madmen.
Today, with ISIS-inspired terrorist launching attacks in shopping malls right here in Minnesota numerous times in the last couple of year, Stand-Your-Ground has never been more important.
After all, do we really want law-abiding gun owners to be worried about what an anti-gun prosecutor or judge might think in a situation where your life –- not to mention the lives of your family — is on the line?
A whopping 36 states now have Stand-Your-Ground law on the books; with Missouri, Iowa, and Wyoming enacting this legislation in just the last three years alone!
It’s high time that Minnesota lawmakers do the same thing.
The great news is, just forcing a vote on Stand-Your-Ground law puts you and me in a win/win situation.
Politicians in BOTH parties who choose to stand against our Second Amendment freedoms will quickly learn there’s a big price to pay at the ballot box.
That’s why — if you want to show gun-grabbers in St. Paul that there will be a price for attacking our freedoms – forcing votes on Stand-Your-Ground is an absolute MUST.
I’m sure you can see why I’m so torn.
There just aren’t any easy options, as both stopping the Bloomberg/Walz gun control agenda and working to force votes on Stand-Your-Ground law deserve our utmost attention.
But I have to face facts.
And as it stands today, I just don’t have the ability to run a full-scale program to stop Governor Walz’ gun control agenda while also working to advance Stand-Your-Ground law –especially not with the Senate leadership above to cave in.
That’s why I’m counting on you to please fill out and submit your Minnesota Gun Rights Membership Directive and tell me where to focus.
Of course, when you do so, you’ll notice that I have included another option on your membership directive — an option that we haven’t talked about yet, because implementing it would require a major influx of funds.
Nevertheless, it’s the option that I am secretly hoping you will choose.
And that’s OPTION #4: FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BLOCK ALL OF THE GUN CONTROL BILLS IN ST. PAUL WHILE ALSO DOING EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO ADVANCE STAND-YOUR-GROUND LAW! DO NOT GIVE GOVERNOR WALZ AND BLOOMBERG A SINGLE INCH!”
But please note that if you select this option, I need you to dig deep and make a sizeable investment in the Second Amendment battle, to help us put this plan into action.
I simply can’t afford to run these programs simultaneously without it.
In fact, without considerable help from gun owners like you, running even ONE of these programs at the scale they would need to be run without immediate assistance will be very tough.
Gun-grabbers here in St. Paul and in Washington D.C. have declared WAR on law abiding gun owners in Minnesota — and they are playing for keeps.
Gun owners like you and me must draw a line in the sand and get ready for the fight of our lives, because this is one!
Our freedom, our way of life, and our very ability to defend ourselves and our loved ones here in Minnesota is on the line in a very real way.
I know I’m asking you to dig deep.
But to fight back and stop all of these attacks — not to mention working to get a vote on Stand-Your-Ground law — we need to mobilize more gun owners than ever before!
Whether it’s $500 or $5000 or even $100 or $10, please do what you can right away!
With the Minnesota legislature in full swing, I simply must hear from you immediately.
Please don’t delay.
For Freedom,
Benjamin Dorr
Political Director
Minnesota Gun Rights
P.S. With the 2019 legislative session in full swing and gun control already being introduced, I need to make some very difficult decisions about where to focus our efforts in 2019.
Without a massive influx of funds, I simply can’t stop the massive gun control freight train that is coming down the tracks.
Governor Walz and Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman have made it clear that passing a massive gun control bill is their TOP PRIORITY THIS SESSION.
We know part of that agenda includes a huge push to pass both ‘Universal Background Checks’ (aka a statewide registry of gun owners) and passing ‘Red Flag Gun Seizure’ legislation!
At the same time, sometimes the best defense is a good offense, and Stand-Your-Ground law is desperately needed in Minnesota.
So I need your immediate advice!
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