April 11, 2001

 Dear Governor Ventura:

 As heard through the ears of a parent of a murdered child…

As heard through the ears of a woman who has been stalked by an attacker…

As heard through the ears of a teacher who has had to participate in school shooting contingency drills…

As heard through the ears of a law enforcement officer who puts his or her life on the line daily to save lives and prevent crime…

And even for most of those in the military…

Your statements last week about “needing to hunt something that can shoot back” provoke outrage and horror.

You need to hear yourself through other people’s ears because… through the ears of a lot of young people, your words sound “cool.”  Making violence sound like sport, making violence sound like fun, or like the way normal people resolve conflict, is foolhardy if you truly care about the people you’ve been elected to govern.  And we do all need to care about each other because ultimately, the kids who grow up believing that violence is cool, exciting, or normal, may one day be sitting next to one of our kids on the bus, or dating one of our daughters, or walking behind your wife on the street.

You may argue that what’s uttered by the movie tough guys you play on the big screen has no influence over the attitudes of young people – although there is a mountain of evidence to the contrary – but ignoring the impact of your words as the Governor of the State of Minnesota is truly a disservice to our citizens.

As an elected official you have an opportunity on a daily basis to model peaceful, mature, respectful conflict resolution.  We urge you to do so.

Sincerely,

The Turn Off the Violence Board of Directors