Former Republican Congressman and Former Pence Aide Join Gun Safety Organization 97Percent
Walsh and Troye, both gun owners, join bipartisan board featuring current and former elected officials, former NRA lobbyists, and strategists from both sides of the aisle.
LOS ANGELES, CA (October 12, 2022) – 97Percent, a new bipartisan gun safety organization focused on engaging gun owners, is proud to announce the addition of two new advisory board members: Former Republican Congressman and 2020 Presidential Candidate Joe Walsh and former Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence Olivia Troye.
“Congressman Walsh and Olivia Troye bring a wealth of experience as gun owners, a deep commitment to reducing gun violence while respecting the Second Amendment, and unique voices as conservative leaders within the gun safety movement,” said 97Percent Executive Director Mathew Littman. “Our board members not only provide their support but also challenge us to approach things differently, and we’re confident Congressman Walsh and Olivia will do just that.”
“I often describe myself as an outspoken gun nut,” said Walsh. “While in Congress, I always received high marks from the gun lobby; but so many recent shootings that could have been prevented, combined with many conversations with fellow gun owners over these past few years, have convinced me that we need to do much more up front to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. You'll now find me on TV attacking the NRA and pushing gun owners to sit at the table to find common ground."
“Having worked on homeland security efforts in the aftermath of numerous mass shootings and violent gun crimes, I’ve joined 97Percent to support a nonpartisan, collaborative approach to common-sense gun reform,” said Troye. “I’m a proud defender of Second Amendment rights for law-abiding gun owners, but I’m also passionate about protecting Americans from the rampant increase in gun violence across our country.”
Troye and Walsh join other gun safety leaders on the advisory board, of which gun owners make up a majority of members. Other board members include current Democratic Representative Seth Moulton; former Republican Representatives Charlie Dent and Carlos Cuerbelo; former NRA lobbyists Abra Belke and John Goodwin; Grey’s Anatomy/Station 19 actor and activist Jason George; Republican strategist and co-host of The Circus Mark McKinnon; and former Brady Campaign President Richard Aborn. 97Percent was recently profiled in Washington Post Magazine as a key player in the gun safety movement that “promotes pragmatic gun-policy reforms — with a twist: Their principal goal is to engage gun owners in the conversation.”
About Congressman Walsh
Former Congressman Joe Walsh, who represented Illinois’s 8th district from 2011-2013, is a longtime gun owner and gun rights advocate. Born and raised in Chicago, he served as a social worker and a teacher of American history and government before being elected to Congress. He started a conservative talk radio show syndicated in multiple cities upon leaving Washington. Walsh decided to challenge Donald Trump in the Republican primary for president in 2020, but the once Tea Party activist suspended his campaign following the Iowa caucus and left the Republican party. Walsh now hosts a podcast called “White Flag” focused on finding common ground and frequently appears as a commentator on CNN and MSNBC.
About Olivia Troye
Oliva Troye, a first-generation Mexican American from El Paso, Texas, began her career in national security after the attacks on September 11th – serving in the Pentagon as a Bush Administration appointee. Having grown up the daughter of gun owners and being trained on how to properly handle and store a gun early in life and throughout her career, she is a proud defender of the Second Amendment. She has worked on the leadership staffs in the Department of Defense, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Homeland Security. She served as Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence and on the White House Coronavirus Task Force. She resigned in the summer of 2020 and is now a vocal critic of former President Trump.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Stephanie Genuardi Cunnane
stephanie@97percent.us
215-896-8193
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About 97Percent
97Percent is a bipartisan group of gun owners and non-gun owners united in our mission to reduce gun deaths in America, while respecting the Second Amendment. We believe the way to do that is by changing the conversation around gun safety to include gun owners, conducting innovative research, and leveraging technology to make our communities safer.
Our name was inspired by a 2018 Quinnipiac University poll, which found that 97% of Americans support universal background checks: a critical gun safety policy that has yet to be made into federal law. While individual polls vary, support levels hover around 90% – a figure that represents unprecedented agreement on a topic viewed as intractable. We are committed to making progress on solutions that non-gun owners and gun owners want to make our country safer.