Against all odds, gun owners just won in Springfield.
The Illinois legislative session ended Sunday night for the year, and every gun control bill pushed by JB Pritzker and anti-gun Democrats was stopped cold by you guys!
Ammo registration (HB-4414), the notorious RIFL Act (HB-3320), civil liability insurance requirements for gun owners (HB-43), and even the Glock Ban (HB-4471) that passed committee just last week all failed before adjournment.
We stopped every single one of them.
And we did not stop them by trying to make these bad bills ‘not quite as bad.’
We didn’t stop them with rallies, that have their place, but don’t scare politicians.
And we didn’t stop them with Witness Slips which disappear with each new amendment.
We stopped them because Illinois Firearms Association members thundered into Springfield all session long, pouring 334,591 emails into legislative inboxes in the Illinois House and Senate.
334,591!!!
That is what held the line in Illinois this year.
Because these were not small bills or symbolic messaging stunts. These bills were designed to crush gun owners here in Illinois, part of Pritzker’s long-term plan to disarm all of us.
Take HB-4414 for example.
That bill would have told the State Police to track ammunition purchases here in Illinois. The goal was obvious: track what we were buying and how much ammo we were buying, setting the stage for eventual ammo confiscation.
And we can’t forget HB-3320, the notorious RIFL Act.
This bill was one of the most dangerous anti-gun bills filed anywhere in America this year. Under HB-3320, firearm manufacturers would have faced crushing licensing fees tied to the so-called “cost of gun violence,” with early estimates reaching into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The money extorted from gun manufacturers would go to Pritzker’s cronies in state government to dole out to whomever they want — including thugs shot by their would-be victims!
And then there was HB-4471, the Glock Ban.
That bill targeted the most popular self-defense handguns in America by banning the future sale of Glock pistols and similar firearms here in Illinois. Worse yet, the bill had already passed committee last week, and anti-gun Democrats desperately wanted to ram it through before adjournment Sunday night.
That is how close they got.
This victory did not happen because politicians suddenly respected our rights.
It happened because politicians — especially those in swing seats — were buried under relentless opposition from ILFA members from across Illinois. While rallies are fun and have their place, they don’t provide in-district pressure that your 334,591 emails did.
That kind of pressure from constituents in their district terrifies them.
Politicians do not care about people venting online for five minutes before moving on with their day. They do not care about hashtags or social media outrage that disappears by tomorrow morning.
They care when thousands upon thousands of real voters from their districts hammer their offices day after day after day. They care when they realize gun owners are organized enough to create political pain and political consequences.
That is what ILFA built this session.
The Illinois Firearms Association exists to organize gun owners into a political machine capable of stopping legislation and holding anti-gun politicians accountable at election time. We are not interested in activism that makes people feel good for an afternoon while gun control keeps advancing behind closed doors.
We are interested in results. And the results this year speak for themselves.
Despite living in one of the bluest anti-gun states in America…
Despite JB Pritzker’s money…
Despite Democrat supermajorities controlling Springfield…
Despite a media apparatus openly hostile to gun owners…
We stopped their entire gun control agenda for the year. Thank you to every single member of the Illinois Firearms Association who stood with us and held the line this year in Springfield.
And to the tens of thousands of new people who joined our email list during this battle, I want to say this directly: you saw what this organization can do. You saw emergency texts and emails go out. You saw lawmakers get flooded with opposition. And now you’ve seen the result!
That is what ILFA members are building together.
If you believe Illinois gun owners deserve an organization that actually fights instead of compromising, I hope you will officially join the Illinois Firearms Association today and become part of the most aggressive gun rights organization in this state.
>>> JOIN THE ILLINOIS FIREARMS ASSOCIATION! <<<
Pritzker isn’t going away. And after the beating they just took this session, if anything, he’ll come back even more aggressive next year.
Which means we cannot slow down.
We have to keep growing.
And we have to become even stronger before the next fight begins here in Springfield.
For Illinois,
Aaron Dorr
Executive Director
Illinois Firearms Association
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