The Letter Is Written By Rolf Olson, A Survivor Of Gun Violence Whose Daughter was Shot and Killed in 2007 in Savage, Minnesota
The Direct Mail Piece is Part of Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund $600,000 Direct Mail Campaign Primarily Targeting Republicans in the Minnesota State Senate for Their Inaction on Gun Violence
Everytown Polling Found Minnesotans Support Stronger Gun Laws by A 5:1 Margin and that Background Checks are a Top Issue Among Suburban Women
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Today Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund unveiled a new direct mail piece in the form of a personal letter penned by Rolf Olson, a survivor of gun violence and volunteer with Minnesota Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown’s grassroots network. In the letter, Olson urges voters to vote against Republicans for the Minnesota state Senate who oppose common-sense gun safety measures, after yet another year of inaction on gun violence. Everytown is spending more than $1 million in digital ads and direct mail to flip the Minnesota state Senate to a gun sense majority.
Read the full letter HERE.
In the letter, Olson – also a husband, father and pastor – tells the story of his 24 year-old daughter, Katherine Ann Olson being shot and killed in 2007 when she answered a babysitting ad on Craigslist by a 19-year-old man with his father’s gun. Olson explains why voters can’t trust Republican senators to protect them from gun violence after they blocked the House-passed background check and red flag law for the second year in a row.
Olson writes, “Instead of fighting for the safety of families like mine, politicians like [Warren Limmer] have decided to side with the gun lobby, and block the common-sense gun laws that could help prevent tragedies and spare people trauma like ours.”
“When survivors of gun violence tell their stories, voters understand the urgency of electing gun sense candidates at every level of the ballot,” said Charlie Kelly, senior political advisor at Everytown for Gun Safety. “With this mail campaign, we’re engaging in a personal conversation with voters right in their homes, and drawing a direct line between their state legislator’s inaction on gun violence and the pain and suffering it has caused.”
“Senate Republicans refuse to put our safety above the gun lobby—Minnesotans deserve better,” said Olson. “As a gun violence survivor, I hope my story and this letter will help my fellow Minnesota voters understand what is at stake for our families in this election and how their vote can make a real difference in making Minnesota safer for us of all.”
The Democratic-led Minnesota state House passed background check and red flag legislation, but Republicans who control the Senate blocked the bills for the second year in a row. Republicans currently hold a two-seat majority in the Minnesota state Senate.
A January survey from Everytown found that the majority of voters in Minnesota support stronger gun safety laws, showing that:
- Voters in Minnesota support stronger gun laws by a 5:1 margin
- 74% of voters consider a candidate’s position on guns “very important” to their vote in 2020
- A majority of voters say they would never vote for a candidate who doesn’t support background checks on all gun sales, putting the issue on par with health care and national security in voters’ minds. And it is the TOP issue among suburban women by a five-point margin.
- 84% of voters surveyed support background checks on all gun sales, including 94% of suburban women, 89% of undecided voters, and 79% of voters surveyed in battleground legislative districts.