The Independent Women’s Forum and The Independent Women’s Voice: Not Independent, Not Neutral on Gun Violence The Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) says it’s a “non-partisan research and education institution.” The Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) claims to represent the views of independent women voters and to “ensure that mainstream women’s voices are heard.” But these organizations are most definitely not independent, mainstream, or neutral. IWF and IWV are deeply imbedded in the right-wing political infrastructure, have long connections to the Koch Brothers, and promote right-wing, often anti-women, policies, and politicians. “Independent” branding is calculated and misleading Passing themselves as “independent” and “neutral” has allowed IWF and IWV to garner media opportunities to promote right-wing causes and candidates without scrutiny of their true agenda or allegiances. “Being branded as neutral, but actually having people who know know that you’re actually conservative puts us in a unique position,” Heather Richardson Higgins, IWV President and IWF Board Chair has admitted. The IWF and IWV have taken advantage of their “neutral brand” and free pass from the media to speak out against equal pay, paid family leave, the “Violence Against Women Act,” Title IX, the Republican “War on Women,” rape on campus, regulated childcare, and provide false equivalence on other women’s economic and social issues. They are also frequently asked to weigh-in on a wide variety of public issues from guns to gay marriage, from education to the environment. Here is a snapshot of positions taken and quotes from IWV and IWF’s issue “experts” on gun violence and gun laws: • IWF has long sided with the NRA’s position on “guns rights.” After the Orlando massacre, Sabrina Schaeffer, executive director of the Independent Women’s Forum appeared on MSNBC to argue that the U.S. didn’t need more gun control laws because the laws already on the books are not being enforced. • IWF’s Gayle Trotter is frequently called upon by Congress to testify on behalf of gun rights advocates, and argues consistently that “guns make women safer.”     • IWF lobbies against laws limiting access to semi-automatic handguns and maximum magazine clips, stating, these laws would “limit a women's capability to fight back against attackers and protect herself and her family.” • On AR-15s, IWF’s Anna Ritgers has written, “The Second Amendment—which remains a part of the Bill of Rights, not the bill of “needs”—protects the right of Americans to keep and bear arms. There is no good argument why law abiding citizens should have these tools taken away from them.” • One month after Sandy Hook, IWF’s Anna Ritgers wrote, “It is hard for me to take Gov. Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg, Senator Diane Feinstein, President Obama, Piers Morgan, Beyonce or any other politician, journalist, or celebrity seriously when they publicly rail against the availability of semiautomatic weapons, wring their hands over so-called “assault weapons,” and decide that AR-15 should be banned because in their opinion, no person “needs” one. “These gun control advocates want to restrict or ban me from accessing certain types of firearms and ammunition all the while their safety (and their family’s safety) is guaranteed by guards armed with semiautomatic handguns and AR-15 rifles with magazines containing multiple rounds—the very items they want to make off-limits for ordinary citizens.” • A month and a half after Sandy Hook on January 2013, IWF’s Gayle Trotter testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee alongside the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre. In her testimony, Trotter repeated that “Guns make women safer,” that “Gun regulation affects only the guns of the law-abiding,” and that “Using a firearm with a magazine holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition, a woman would have a fighting chance even against multiple attackers.” • IWF has highlighted and been featured in media efforts to reject Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court on second amendment grounds. • IWF’s Hadley Heath has claimed “Expanding background checks to person-to-person gun sales will have little effect.” • IWF invited Cam Edwards, the host of the National Rifle Association’s “Cam & Company” radio show, to record a live show at their June, 2016 “Women Lead” summit in Washington DC at a panel entitled, “Culture of Alarmism: Scaring You Silly.” As documented by Media Matters, Cam Edwards has continually denied scientific research on gun violence, and has stated that a “healthy percentage” of teenagers who have been shot are acting illegally.