FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, February 27th, 2019
MEDIA ADVISORY: Survivors Lead calls for the resignation of Representative Cal Bahr following his statement at the MN Gun Owners Caucus rally Saturday, February 23rd, 2019
Survivors Lead was horrified to watch the recent MN Gun Owners Caucus rally at the Minnesota State Capitol where Representative Cal Bahr made the following statement:
“There are a lot of us in this room who’ve had enough, and it is time to start riding herd on these people who want to take your rights away from you. They will not go quietly into the good night. They need to be kicked to the curb and stomped on and run over a few times.”
Gun extremists tend to focus attacks on survivors and women activists. That’s because gun culture and misogyny are interwoven--American women are 16 times more likely to be shot and killed than women in other high-wealth nations. The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the woman’s chance of being shot and killed by 500%.
If we want to take gun violence more seriously, we must begin to have conversations about our nation’s attitudes on misogyny and family violence. The Minnesota House has the opportunity to take an important step by closing the private sale/gun show loophole and by also ensuring that folks experiencing violence can keep guns away from their abusers.
Statement from Survivors Lead Executive Director and gun violence survivor, Rachael Joseph: “I have been fighting for stronger gun laws since 2003 when my aunt Shelley Joseph-Kordell was murdered in the courthouse shooting at the Hennepin County Government Center. The shooter went to a gun show and purchased a gun for $60 though a private sale with no background check required by Minnesota law. I have testified multiple times in committee and heard opposition testimony in a peaceful and professional environment. Cal Bahr is a public servant in the People’s House--inciting violence against survivors and gun reform activists is absolutely unacceptable and there is no excuse for it. Representative Bahr did issue an apology however, Minnesotans can not allow angry men to call for violence without consequence. Therefore, we call for the immediate resignation of Representative Bahr from the Minnesota legislature. We also expect an apology from the MN Gun Owners Caucus for enabling this violent rhetoric.”
ABOUT SURVIVORS LEAD:
Survivors Lead works with victims and survivor families to assist them in advocating for their murdered loved one in unsolved cases. We provide survivor peer advocacy throughout the trial process and beyond. We’re developing retreat programming between survivors of police violence and law enforcement cadets to combat the dehumanization necessary to take a life. We also offer leadership trainings to assist survivors of violence in running for public office.
For more information, visit www.survivorslead.com or text SURVIVORSLEAD to 444-999.