Thursday - March 12, 2009

Going for the gold … the IGOLD

Senor Windmill, meet Don Quixote. Don Quixote, may I present Senor Windmill? Your lance, sir. Sancho Ponza, give the horse a nudge, would you please?

Pictures? I don’t know. If he sends me some, I’ll put them up. But a) I’m glad to see some positive action taking place in that state, and b) I’m even prouder to see some of my readers taking part. This is what it’s all about folks. Doing what the Skipper said to do: keep talking, and keep a close eye on the government, all governments, at all times.

This was a real grassroots event, which means it’s tough to easily find much information, and a blessing if you can find any media coverage at all. But I did come up with these bits ...

IGOLD Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day!
Wednesday March 11, 2009
Springfield, IL

Do not miss the largest gun rights rally and Second Amendment lobbying event in Illinois history! We need thousands of Illinois gun owners, hunters, sport shooters, plinkers, target shooters, and those who simply wish to defend their right to keep and bear arms in order to protect their families and themselves to gather at the Prairie Capitol Convention Center, march down Capitol Avenue, rally on the Capitol steps, then proceed inside to lobby legislators to make our presence known. There will be no mistaking that Illinois gun owners intend to stand up and speak out for our right to keep and bear arms in the state of Illinois!!

They put the whole event together in about 90 days, found a couple of sponsors, and organized buses from all over the state, from at least 30 areas. Pretty cool.

Last year more than 1,500 Illinois gun owners swarmed the Capitol complex lobbying state legislators for firearm owners rights and the need for a Right to Carry law in Illinois.

With the help of sponsors we have been able to charter buses from the locations listed below. Bus fares will be $20 ( or in the case of Champaign/Decatur donations will be accepted) and seat reservations are a must!!! We will be making flier documents available for you to print out and hand out in your neighborhoods, work places, wherever you can to get the word out.

ISRA is proud to sponsor Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day for 2009

NOW is the time for Illinois citizens to come together and demand IL legislators respect the law-abiding citizen’s right to protect themselves and their families from violent criminals.

NOW is the time for Illinois citizens to demand Illinois join the rest of the nation and pass a License to Carry law. Illinois is one of only two states left that does not have a License to Carry law and that is unacceptable.

NOW is the time for all gun owners to join in the battle to protect each other’s right to pursue the lawful use of their firearms - be it for hunting, sport, or self-defense.

NOW is not the time to sit idly by and wring our hands. NOW is the time to show up at the Illinois State Capitol and let our voices be heard - the voices of Illinois Gun owners - loud clear voices that we have had enough infringements on our rights - we’ll budge no further. In fact, not only do we stand our ground, we want back ground that’s been lost.

And so they did ... for the second year in a row ... this time around, according to reader Kevin, about 3000 people attended. And they [peacefully] mobbed the state house ...

News coverage? Well, some ...

Gun owners rally today in Springfield, pushing for a concealed carry law in Illinois.

Just yesterday a Senate committee rejected a proposal to allow residents to carry concealed weapons. It would have allowed county sheriff’s to issue permits to qualified gun owners. State Senator John Jones, a Mount Vernon Republican who sponsored the proposal, said he wasn’t surprised by the rejection, given the makeup of the panel. Concealed carry efforts have long been supported by downstate lawmakers, but opposed by Chicago-area lawmakers.

The Senate’s action makes passage of three similar bills making their way through the Illinois house doubtful. Jones said even if those proposals win House approval, they’d likely go nowhere in the Senate.

Illinois gun-owners rally in Springfield, but misfire in committees
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Hundreds of Illinois gun-owners descended on the state Capitol today, lobbying for the right to carry concealed handguns. They wore yellow caps and t-shirts with the emblem IGOLD (Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day), many with the Second Amendment printed on the back.

It was an impressive show of strength. But where it matters - in the legislative committees - they’re losing ground.

Pro-gun lawmakers and lobbyists in recent weeks have predicted this could be the year that Illinois joins 48 other states (including Missouri) that allow “concealed-carry.” The National Rifle Association and others have been pretty fired up about it, and anti-gun folks have been rallying their own troops for what they’ve believed could be a real showdown. (Read our earlier story here.)

The first skirmish so far, though, hasn’t gone well for the pro-fun folks. A state Senate committee last night voted down one concealed-carry bill (SB1976), with Chicago Democrats leading the way. And today, a House committee passed an anti-gun bill that would limit gun purchases to one a month (HB12), a measure backed by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who has made gun control a central goal of his administration - and who has lots of friends in Springfield these days.

Neither issue is yet settled, and an NRA lobbyist stopped by our office a little while ago to assure us that they’ve not yet begun to fight. We’ll see.

Interestingly, the comments left under this article say that 5100 people were registered and attended. Kevin figured it was at least 3000. But the newspaper said “hundreds”. Hmmm, we’ve seen that one before, only usually turned around the other way. So who really can say, unless they’ve got one of those panoramic photos? The ISRA itself [Illinois State Rifle Association] estimated 2000 would attend.

And I would pick the smallest of bones with the IGOLD folks: while almost all the states do allow concealed carry, several [like NJ] are what we call “may issue” states, which means CCW doesn’t really exist. CCW is what you want, but you want to be a “shall issue” state. That means no favoritism, cronyism, or whites only who get this right. So 48 is a number, but 40 is the more realistic shall-issue number.

Speaking of Whites Only, as part of that Open conversation about race we’re all supposed to be having, reader Kevin kept his eyes open to see who was attending this rally. And guess what he saw?

Illinois has a decently diverse population. And the Constitution applies to all of us. So where were the women? Where were the non-whites? This rally sounds a lot like a GOP get together in that regard. Idea for next year: canvas the ethnic areas better. Get a few hundred, a few thousand minorities to show up, and the legislature might start to listen. It could be that until then, all they can see is “a bunch of crazy crackers”. Get everyone involved.

Gun owner in Illinois have an uphill battle. My guess is Illinois will be the last state to turn over the CCW leaf, after NY and NJ give in, which won’t happen until Washington DC gives in. But keep the pressure on, keep the letters and emails coming. It’s going to be a long campaign. Good work so far.

Posted by Drew458     on 03/12/2009 at 09:29 PM   
Filed Under: • Guns and Gun Control • Politics •  
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