By Illinois Review
On Thursday, law-abiding gun owners from across the state gathered at the state capitol for the Illinois State Rifle Association’s annual Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day (IGOLD) rally – as more than a thousand gathered in Springfield to send a message to anti-gun legislators that you can’t eliminate the 2nd Amendment or the right of self-defense.
The event began at the Bank of Springfield Center with an impressive list of speakers, including ISRA president Doug Mayhall, ISRA executive director Richard Pearson, ISRA lobbyists Ed Sullivan and Bill Potts and Freedom Steel’s podcast host Todd Vandermyde. The keynote address was delivered by Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation.
Following the event, attendees marched to the state capitol building where legislators addressed the impressive gathering of 2nd Amendment supporters on the steps of the Capitol. The day ended with law-abiding gun owners visiting legislative offices to peacefully express both their support and opposition to various pieces of legislation. HB2922 for example, repeals the Firearm Owners Identification Card (FOID) – and has unanimous support amongst the 2nd Amendment community.
IGOLD was launched back in the 1990s to put a name and a face on law-abiding Illinois gun owners to counter the false media narrative that gun owners were dangerous, unsophisticated people. The first IGOLD attracted 200 people, and by 2013, nearly 10,000 were attending this historic annual gathering.
Law-abiding citizens in Illinois have been under attack by anti-gun legislators in Springfield – and in 2023, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker signed one of the strictest assault weapons bans in the country. However, crime continues to skyrocket in cities and communities across the state – proving the point that law-abiding gun owners are not the problem in Illinois. And taking away the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens does not make cities like Chicago safer. The ISRA continues to successfully argue that you make cities and communities safer by going after the real criminals – and putting them in jail where they belong.
Anti-gun Democrats remain inconsistent in their messaging – and the Illinois State Rifle Association continues to point it out and challenge them at every turn – both in the courts and in the media.
