Freeborn County GOP

05/29/2026

Great My Point of View by your Freeborn County GOP! 🇺🇲

https://www.albertleatribune.com/opinion/my-point-of-view-time-to-solve-the-root-causes-of-gun-violence-once-and-for-all-068b31eb

There are many fears in this world. Every time there is a shooting — whether at a school, mall, workplace or in a domestic setting — the first topic of discussion becomes gun control.

Both sides of the aisle have strong opinions, but no one has a perfect solution. The current gun bill passed by the Senate and presented to the Minnesota House last week would not have solved the problems we face today. I am thankful it did not pass the House. The heavily Democrat-written bill would have made our state less safe.

Sometimes compromise is necessary to achieve meaningful progress, but this bill was not the answer. It would have turned many responsible gun owners into felons. That does not protect victims; it only empowers criminals.

Minnesota House Republicans stood their ground to protect lawful gun owners, and in turn, our children and communities. Criminals will continue to obtain guns legally or illegally, regardless of additional legislation. They do not follow already established laws. Responsible gun owners, however, do follow the law — and under legislation like this, many would lose their ability to protect themselves, their families and their communities.

So how do we truly discourage gun violence? We focus on the people, not the weapon. We start by increasing access to mental health support, enforcing tougher penalties for violent crimes and ensuring judges uphold existing laws.

Many shooters are later found to have unresolved mental health struggles that went unnoticed or untreated. Research has shown that many mass shooters had untreated or undiagnosed mental health conditions before committing their crimes. A 2022 psychiatric study of U.S. mass shooters found that 87.5% had been misdiagnosed, improperly treated or had untreated mental illnesses prior to their attacks. Researchers identified conditions including severe depression, schizophrenia, PTSD and personality disorders. At the same time, Minnesota continues to face concerns about repeat violent offenders receiving reduced sentences through plea agreements or sentencing departures from state guidelines.

A 2024 firearm offender study found that more than half of firearm-related cases involved reduced charges through plea negotiations, which significantly lowered expected sentences. Critics argue that lighter sentencing and reduced penalties fail to deter repeat criminal behavior and weaken accountability.

If Democrats truly want to protect children and address gun violence, we need serious investment in mental health support, stronger accountability for violent offenders and consistent enforcement of the laws already on the books.

Republicans believe in our constitutional Second Amendment rights. We support common sense gun laws, including background checks and waiting periods. We strive to be responsible gun owners by promoting safety, education and proper firearm handling. We strive to build a generational legacy of gun owners. We teach our children about the responsibilities that come with gun ownership, including hunting, safety and self-defense. Gun owners hope and pray they never have to use a weapon to protect themselves. We support law enforcement, but in rural Minnesota, citizens may be left to defend themselves while waiting for emergency response times are often longer than in urban areas.

While this bill may have addressed some of these issues, the Democrats’ focus was taking away guns from law-abiding citizens. Democrats have supported efforts to defund law enforcement while focusing on the weapons itself, ignoring the root causes of gun violence and undermining our constitutional Second Amendment rights. Citizens have rights to protect themselves, their families and their property.

It is time to work together to solve the root causes of these problems once and for all.

We need strong legislators willing to make investments, bold judges willing to uphold the law and engaged citizens willing to vote red this November so meaningful work can be accomplished in the House, Senate and governor’s office in 2027.

Kasey Wolters is the treasurer for the Freeborn County GOP Party.

There are many fears in this world. Every time there is a shooting — whether at a school, mall, workplace or in a domestic setting — the first topic of discussi...

05/13/2026

It was so great to see 5th and 6th grade students and staff from Sacred Heart School during their visit to our State Capitol!

05/12/2026

Why the Minnesota State Flag Matters So Much — And Why We Must Bring It Back

Communities across Minnesota are passing resolutions to restore our traditional state flag. Why does this issue hit so hard for conservative voters?

It’s not just cloth. It’s our story.

The old flag was commissioned in 1893 — very similar to the one we flew proudly until 2024. It had minor updates in 1957 and 1983, but it stayed recognizable and meaningful: a double-sided design (later simplified for cost), navy-to-medium blue, small seal tweaks. It was our flag.

What is the purpose of a flag? A flag carries meaning. The traditional one told Minnesota’s story in every detail:
• 19 stars around the seal — Minnesota as the 19th state to join the Union.
• The year 1858 — when we became a state.
• The ribbon with 1819 and 1893 — Fort Snelling commissioned and the flag adopted.
• L’Étoile du Nord — “Star of the North” — our motto celebrating the hardiness of our people, the beauty of our land and waters, our brutal winters, and everything that makes northern life what it is.

The seal itself showed a Native American on horseback with a spear at the edge of a field where a farmer worked the plow, rifle in the background. It captured the exact moment Minnesota became a state — European settlers and Native Americans in a strained but real coexistence. For better or worse, that is our history. Both sides committed atrocities. Life was brutal. Modern people love to judge it from the comfort of their phones, but history doesn’t work that way.

European settlers came fleeing oppression, poverty, pandemics, war, and famine. No starving family in Europe thought, “We shouldn’t go to America because natives have a claim.” The “stolen land” argument is a farce — pure talking-point virtue signaling. The same people who scream it would never hand their own property back to a tribe and start over somewhere else. Just look at Billie Eilish. She stood on stage preaching “no one is illegal on stolen land,” yet lives in a multi-million-dollar mansion on Tongva ancestral territory — and has never offered compensation or moved. It was all performance. No action. Pure hypocrisy.

Yes, some Native tribes practiced horrific rituals: human sacrifice, wiping out rival villages, enslaving women and children, and torture so brutal victims sometimes lived for days while being dismembered. Early Minnesota settlers faced real terror during uprisings. Government and military leaders also committed atrocities — slaughtered villages and broke treaties. Neither side was innocent. We’re fallen people. History exists to be learned from, not erased when it makes us uncomfortable. A culture can be both celebrated and mourned.

That flag flew in thousands of classrooms, courthouses, and public buildings. It was carried by Minnesota regiments into battle after battle across the globe. It held soldiers together with dignity and solidarity. It was one of the threads that bound generations of Minnesota families. Progressives have pulled thread after thread from our shared culture until almost nothing holds us together anymore.

Then, in a bureaucratic backroom with almost no public input and only one elected official (DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon), they scrapped it. No vote. No real process. They called our historic flag “racist” and “outdated” and replaced it with something that looks unmistakably like the flags of the failed nation of Somalia and its Jubaland state — a nation defined by corruption, violence, and failed governance. Minnesota now has the highest Somali immigrant population in America. Minneapolis is nicknamed “Little Mogadishu.” We’ve seen billions stolen through massive fraud schemes while some leaders looked the other way in exchange for political support. The visual similarity isn’t a coincidence we can ignore.

“But the star and points are different!” Please. An 8-pointed star meant to look like four M’s, with points flipped inward or outward? It’s an afterthought trying to justify a design that never should have happened.

It’s time to put this nonsense behind us.

It’s time for city after city, county after county, school board after school board, and homes across Minnesota to retire this silly excuse for a flag and bring back the one our forefathers flew. The flag that survived blizzards, built churches, and answered the call to defend our nation. The flag that still tells the story of the Native and the farmer standing together at the birth of our state.

To the person who says, “We have more important things to worry about than a silly old flag,” I say: For now.

When the last threads of our shared culture are gone and we no longer recognize who we are as a people, lower gas prices and better roads won’t matter. You can’t fix a nation that has forgotten its own reflection.

I’m organizing a festival right here in Albert Lea that celebrates Christian faith, traditional family, and patriotic love of country. We have musicians playing Southeast Asian, Spanish, and Dutch music alongside youth bands. Bikers, grizzled veterans, public school kids, homeschoolers, and Christian school students — the most diverse crowd you’ll find in Albert Lea. All united under one narrow but powerful banner: faith, family, and patriotism. That’s real diversity. That’s real unity. And the Minnesota flag — like Old Glory — has a story, hope, and a promise for every single one of them.

Bring her back. Fly her over every courthouse and schoolyard again. Bring back the recognition of the Native and the farmer. Stitch one more thread back into the tattered flag that still binds us together.

Minnesotans — what do you say? Should we bring our flag home?Drop a 🇺🇸 in the comments if you agree. Share this post. Contact your city council, county board, and school board. Let’s make it happen — one community at a time.

The flag of our forefathers is waiting. Let’s bring her home.

05/11/2026

Happy Statehood Day Minnesota!

05/08/2026

With just over a week remaining in the 2026 legislative session, numerous bills are coming forward every day for consideration in the Minnesota House. Most of them are being approved with overwhelming, if not unanimous, support.

05/07/2026

In this week's My Point of View, Freeborn GOP Chair Hoffman informs you of how the election season is set up, including the previous and upcoming party endorsements, primaries, and leading up to the general election in November!

Where are we now? This election season, especially in Minnesota, we are in for a journey. Where are we on the map right now in early May 2026?

05/04/2026

This is why it's so important for you to vote! Minnesota needs to send Republicans to St. Paul to end the abuse of public property promoting these heinous agendas. Acts like this are undignified, vulgar, and demeaning to our law enforcement agents.

05/01/2026

My school anti-grooming bill, designed to stop grooming in Minnesota schools, is one step closer to becoming law in the State of Minnesota. This week, the bill was approved unanimously on the House floor and now heads to the Minnesota Senate for further discussion.

04/27/2026

Sunday funny

04/22/2026

We all knew. Conservatives have known for years that racism would be dead and gone if leftists were not keeping it on life support to support the existence of their inflammatory, tax-wasting, liberty-infringing, race-baiting organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"We pay people to be racist so we can fight racism"