Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day a HUGE Success!! .............

Media reports indicate that thousands of Illinois gun owners marched to the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield Tues. March 11th for IGOLD. A visual from the Lincoln steps of the Capitol building show gun owners as far as the eye can see.

For video:
(The following links are not active and must be copied and pasted.)

Fox News Across America:
http://www.foxnews.com/video/maven_playerId=videolandingpage&maven_referralPlaylistId=949437d0db05ed5f5b9954dc049d70b0c12f2749&maven_referralObject=da5f9ab2-5943-48fa-9548-faa3ccb9a17a

IGOLD 08
http://www.illinoiscarry.com/

Women of IGOLD 08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8awX2si4pQ

Press coverage:
http://www.isra.org/ (srcoll down the page)

For photos:
http://illinoiscarry.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8789

http://illinoiscarry.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8864

Illinois gun owners taking part in Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day (IGOLD) this past Tuesday marched down Capitol Ave. side by side filling four lanes of traffic and stretching three city blocks long. Estimates of the number of people attending the event are reported to be well over 2,000. The crowd was a mix of racial backgrounds, young and old, business suits and jeans, men and women and all were in Springfield to express their disapproval of current laws and proposed legislation that would further infringe on the right to own and possess firearms.

We started off the day with a legislative briefing at the Hilton Hotel. Valinda Rowe, spokesperson for IllinoisCarry.com gave the welcoming speech to a standing room only crowd and then introduced downstate legislators Rep. Brandon Phelps of District 118 and Rep. Mike Bost of District 115. Both legislators received rousing applause from the crowd for being co-sponsors of HB1304 a Family and Personal Protection bill which would provide for the legal carry of firearms for self-defense. Also taking the podium were Sen. Bill Haine, Richard Pearson - Executive Director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, Frank Wright - President of the Champaign Co. Rifle Association, and Tom Shafer of the Sangamon Co. Rifle Association.

And then we hit the streets! We were a magnificent sight!! Flags unfurled, marching in cadence from the Hilton to the State Capitol our huge assembly of gun owners spanned four lanes wide and filled three city blocks! The march culminated with the crowd spilling over onto the Capitol lawn for a rally which was held at the foot of the Lincoln statue just outside the east entrance of the statehouse. Several legislators joined us on the Lincoln steps and spoke about our need to keep up the fight for our rights.

The women attending IGOLD held a press conference in the Capitol press room. Speaking before the press was Susan Darnall recipient of the NRA 2007 Marion P. Hammer Women of Distinction Award, Dr. Paula Bratich Illinois coordinator for Second Amendment Sisters, Colleen Lawson founder of Gun Owners Against Violence, and Valinda Rowe as spokesperson for IllinoisCarry.com. All four women expressed the need for Illinois to join 48 other states that already have a self-defense Right-to-Carry law in place. Immediately after the press conference the women in presented a statement to the Governor's office in which the women urged Gov. Rod Blagojevich to come to the aid of Illinois women and urge legislators to pass a Right to Carry bill into law. Last year the women of IGOLD were allowed to enter the receiving area of the Governor's office but this year they were ordered to remain outside the office and a staff person stepped out and to take theirr statement.

IGOLD attendees then met with and lobbied their representatives and senators in person in an effort to gain their support for protecting the rights of Illinois gun owners. New this year were lobby cards that each attendee presented to the four key leaders of both the Senate and House of Representatives - President of the Senate Emil Jones, Minority Leader of the Senate Frank Watson, Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, and Minority Leader of the House Tom Cross. An IGOLD attendee reported that the lobby cards in Speaker Madigan's office were piled so high they were having to bundle them up to keep the towering stacks from spilling over!! Among the proposed legislation now up for approval in Senate and House committees are bills that if passed would ban the possession of many commonly owned firearms and would severely limit or outright ban firearm ammunition in the entire state. While the gun owners voiced their opposition to much of the proposed legislation concerning firearms they expressed unified support for a self-defense law for Illinoisans that would provide a legal means for law abiding citizens of the state to carry a firearm on their person or in their vehicle for self protection.

Capped off the day with a reception at the State Library where legislators were invited to mingle with constituents on an informal basis as we all enjoyed the refreshments and drinks provided by the ISRA. As folks prepared to head home many comments were heard about how fantastic the day had been, how rewarding it was to see so many gun owners joining together to make a stand there in our very own state capitol, and how they planned to not only return for IGOLD 2009 but how many of their friends they would be bringing with them!

Again, thank you to all the gun owners who made IGOLD 2008 such a success. Keep active, keep those phones ringing in the legislators offices, and stop by their district office to meet with them in person. We must and WILL be heard!

IGOLD was sponsored by the Illinois State Rifle Association who partnered with IllinoisCarry.com, Sangamon County Rifle Assoc., Champaign County Rifle Assoc. and many other grassroots gun rights organizations around the state.