— 2016 — MINNESOTA VOTERS GUIDE WHAT’S AT STAKE IN THE 2016 ELECTIONS uring the 2013 legislative session, when anti-gun • HF830 clarified existing law so that Minnesotans could metro DFL leaders in Saint Paul had control of both purchase long guns in other states in accordance with federal the Minnesota House and Senate committees for law. public safety and judiciary, law-abiding gun owners • HF722 removed the ability of the governor to order firearms Dsaw one gun control proposal after another that would have done seized, among other 2nd Amendment restrictions he could nothing to reduce violence in Minnesota. enact, during a declared “state of emergency” These proposals were soundly defeated because law-abiding gun • SF878 contained all of the bills listed above as well as a new owners like you showed up at the capitol, attended hearings, and definition intended to clear up permit to carry reciprocity personally lobbied your legislators through e-mail, meetings, and between Minnesota and other states. phone calls to oppose this unconstitutional legislation. These successes only happened because of the ongoing support The Minnesota Gun Owners Political Action Committee (MNGO- and volunteerism of people like you! PAC) was formed later that year to elect and support Pro-Second Amendment lawmakers in the Minnesota House. Even with these successes, however, we still saw the introduction of several anti-gun bills in both the Minnesota House and Senate. In November 2014, after nearly a year of working to change the Fortunately these bills were killed early in the sessions, makeup of Saint Paul, voters across Minnesota elected a sometimes even before they got to a committee hearing. Pro-Second Amendment majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Now we’re faced with the 2016 elections, where both the Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate are up for grabs in Suddenly, things were different in Saint Paul: November. • Anti-gun F rated public safety committee member Representa- It is critical that we maintain our Pro-Second Amendment tive Shannon Savick was replaced by A rated Representative majority in the Minnesota House and elect a strong Pro-Second Peggy Bennett in House District 27A. Amendment majority in the Minnesota Senate so that we can both prevent future gun control legislation from advancing and • A rated Representative Kurt Daudt (HD 31A) became Speaker move forward with important pro-gun rights legislation like of the House, replacing F rated Representative Paul Thissen Constitutional Carry and Stand Your Ground. (HD 61B). • A+ rated Representative Tony Cornish (HD 23B) replaced To help you make the best informed decision about your Minneso- F rated anti-gun Representative Michael Paymar (HD 64B) as ta House and Senate races, we’ve assembled our 2016 voter’s Chairman of the House Public Safety Committee. guide. Inside, you’ll find candidate grades and endorsements across almost every House and Senate race this year. During the past legislative session, rather than seeing anti-gun bill Thanks for your support over the past year, we look forward to after anti-gun bill come to a hearing in the Minnesota House, we many election victories in November! saw a package of five pro-gun bills passed by large bi-partisan majorities and be signed into law by Governor Dayton. • HF1434 legalized the possession and use of suppressors, in line with federal law, for all lawful purposes in Minnesota. • HF372 removed the duplicative requirement that permit holders send a letter to the Commissioner of Public Safety if they intend Bryan Strawser Rob Doar to carry at the State Capitol Complex. Chair VP & Political Director PREPARED AND PAID FOR BY THE MINNESOTA GUN OWNERS CAUCUS AND THE MINNESOTA GUN OWNERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE. — 2016 — MINNESOTA VOTERS GUIDE OUR GRADING ur grades are based on a number of factors, for Minnesota, and related topics. Generally, we do not post or including a candidate survey that was mailed to release candidate surveys. each candidate, their public record of votes and statements, and grades from credible gun rights Our grading scale is A+ through F. The designation (P) next to a Oorganizations like the National Rifle Association. All grading grade indicates a candidate with a provisional grade based recommendations are reviewed and approved by our board. entirely upon the candidate’s survey due to their lack of public record or statements on gun rights issues. Our candidate survey covers a number of substantive gun rights topics, including constitutional carry, self-defense law reform Candidates who received a “?” either did not submit a survey (Stand Your Ground), licensing and registration, universal and/or lack enough of a public record for a grade to be issued. background checks, the right to keep and bear arms amendment Grades are issued by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. OUR ENDORSEMENTS ur endorsements are based on a number of factors, viability of their campaign. All endorsement recommendations are including grades issued by the Minnesota Gun reviewed and approved by our board. Owners Caucus and other credible gun rights organizations. We also take into consideration the Endorsements are issued by the Minnesota Gun Owners Political Ocandidate’s public record of votes and statements, their candidate Action Committee, the connected political fund of the Minnesota survey responses, their fundraising for this year’s election, and the Gun Owners Caucus. STATE SENATE GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS NAME DISTRICT PARTY GRADE ENDORSED NAME DISTRICT PARTY GRADE ENDORSED Kip Fontaine District 1 DFL ? — Donna Bergstrom District 7 R B (P) — Mark Johnson District 1 R A (P) d Erik Simonson District 7 DFL F — Paul Utke District 2 R A — Shawn Olson District 8 DFL B (P) — Rod Skoe District 2 DFL A d Bill Ingebrigtsen District 8 R A d Thomas (Tom) Bakk District 3 DFL A d Paul Gazelka District 9 R A d Jennifer L. Havlick District 3 R ? — Jason Weinerman District 9 DFL ? — James Leiman District 4 R ? — Tiffany Stenglein District 10 DFL ? — Kent Eken District 4 DFL A d Carrie Ruud District 10 R A d Tom Saxhaug District 5 DFL A d Tony Lourey District 11 DFL A d Justin Eichorn District 5 R A (P) — Michael Cummins District 11 R A- (P) — David J Tomassoni District 6 DFL A d Torrey Westrom District 12 R A d Skeeter Tomczak District 6 R ? — Russ Hinrichs District 12 DFL ? — GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS CURRENT AS OF SEPTEMBER 22ND. FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION, VISIT HTTP://GUNOWNERS.MN/GRADING. 2 PREPARED AND PAID FOR BY THE MINNESOTA GUN OWNERS CAUCUS AND THE MINNESOTA GUN OWNERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE. — 2016 — MINNESOTA VOTERS GUIDE STATE SENATE GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS NAME DISTRICT PARTY GRADE ENDORSED NAME DISTRICT PARTY GRADE ENDORSED Michael Willemsen District 13 DFL ? — Jeremy Miller District 28 R A- d Michelle Fischbach District 13 R ? — Jon Pieper District 28 DFL ? — Dan Wolgamott District 14 DFL A (P) — Janice Holter Kittok District 29 DFL ? — Jerry Relph District 14 R A (P) — Bruce Anderson District 29 R A d Chilah Brown District 15 DFL ? — Mary Kiffmeyer District 30 R A d Andrew Mathews District 15 R A- (P) d P.J. LaCroix District 30 DFL ? — Gary Dahms District 16 R A d Michelle Benson District 31 R A d James Kanne District 16 DFL ? — Ricky Englund District 31 DFL B(P) — Lyle Koenen District 17 DFL A d Tim Nelson District 32 DFL ? — Andrew Lang District 17 R A (P) — Mark Koran District 32 R A (P) d Scott J Newman District 18 R A d Jay Nygard District 33 LIB ? — Amy Wilde District 18 DFL ? — David Osmek District 33 R A+ d Sherrie Pugh District 33 DFL ? — Nick Frentz District 19 DFL F — Willa Dailey District 19 R B+ (P) — Warren Limmer District 34 R A+ d Shane Wernsing District 19 LIB A (P) d Bonnie Westlin District 34 DFL ? — Kevin L. Dahle District 20 DFL F — Jim Abeler District 35 R A+ d Rich Draheim District 20 R A (P) d Roger Johnson District 35 DFL D- (P) — Mike Goggin District 21 R ? — Jeffrey Lunde District 36 R ? — Matt Schmit District 21 DFL A d John Hoffman District 36 DFL ? — Bill Weber District 22 R ? — Brad Sanford District 37 R ? — Brian Abrahamson District 22 DFL F (P) — Jerry Newton District 37 DFL ? — Barbara Ann Lake District 23 DFL ? — Roger Chamberlain District 38 R A d Julie Rosen District 23 R ? — Pat Davern District 38 DFL ? — Vicki Jensen District 24 DFL ? — Karin Housley District 39 R A d John Jasinski District 24 R A- (P) d Sten Hakanson District 39 DFL ? — Dale Amorosia District 25 DFL ? — Robert Marvin District 40 R A (P) d David H. Senjem District 25 R A d Chris Eaton District 40 DFL F — Carla Nelson District 26 R A d Gary R. Johnson District 41 R ? — Rich Wright District 26 DFL ? — Carolyn Laine District 41 DFL F — Gene Dornink District 27 R A- (P) — Jason "Ike" Isaacson District 42 DFL F — Dan Sparks District 27 DFL B+ — Candy Sina District 42 R A (P) — GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS CURRENT AS OF SEPTEMBER 22ND. FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION, VISIT HTTP://GUNOWNERS.MN/GRADING. PREPARED AND PAID FOR BY THE MINNESOTA GUN OWNERS CAUCUS AND THE MINNESOTA GUN OWNERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE. 3 NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE. — 2016 — MINNESOTA VOTERS GUIDE STATE SENATE GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS NAME DISTRICT PARTY GRADE ENDORSED NAME DISTRICT PARTY GRADE ENDORSED Charles "Chuck" Wiger District 43 DFL F — Ali C. Ali District 55 DFL ? — Bob Zick District 43 R A — Eric Pratt District 55 R A d Chris Belflower District 43 I A- (P) — Phillip M.