by John Boch
Most of America now knows how Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms, through their private lobbying group Illinois Firearms Manufacturers’ Association, betrayed gun owners and gun dealers in Illinois. Both companies claimed they knew nothing of their lobbyist Jay Keller’s actions. They also claimed they knew nothing of the donations made to anti-gun politicians. Gun owners aren’t stupid though.
Moving forward, two points stand out.
First off, we must direct our anger and effort at stopping this horrific bill. Period. Guns Save Life will generally follow the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action’s sage and pithy advice: All energy not directed to stopping this bill is wasted energy.
More importantly, Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms have committed themselves to a more “hands on” role in protecting and defending gun rights. Whatever has happened up to now, I welcome these two companies to the front lines of the fight for gun rights in Illinois. We can certainly use their help. The work is long, thankless and often frustrating. The cause, however, could not be more noble or honorable. Glad to have you the team, gentlemen. We value your participation. Obviously, your actions will face intense scrutiny from all involved.
Many of Illinois' dealers received a package from FedEx today. Inside, Springfield Armory packed a book of handouts for these dealers to share with their customers. On the back of the page, Springfield lists some of the things it's doing to defeat this bill.
At the same time, I sincerely hope these two companies will be around after the fight over SB-1657 has concluded. We will still have to fight Lethal Violence Orders of Protection and plenty of other gun control schemes this session.
I contacted both companies Monday morning asking if they will remain engaged after we move past the SB-1657 fight. Four plus days later, all I've heard is crickets chirping. It makes me doubt about their dedication to the long haul.
It should probably make you wonder too.
Post Script
I broke this “sell out” story as part of my writing for The Truth About Guns. The initial story and follow-ups garnered national attention in the gun rights community, right as the NRA convention kicked off. The fall-out for Springfield and Rock River has proven devastating. A post at AR-15.com suggested that Rock River might be laying off 25% of its workforce.
Once the companies ditched IFMA and pledged their support for the 2A, I welcomed them to the front lines of the gun rights fight. Plenty of folks asked some pretty tough questions, wondering how I could welcome these companies back into the fold after exposing their apparent treachery days before.
First off, I’m sane.
Do I forgive these two companies? No. I could be a far better Christian.
Will I forget what they’ve done? Never. Just as gun owners recall the Smith & Wesson deal with the Clinton administration, gun owners will remember this incident for generations.
With hard work and sincere dedication to promoting and defending gun rights, Springfield and Rock River can overcome today’s outrage. I’m not dumping my RRA or Springfield firearm products and you probably shouldn’t either. Their t-shirts and swag? That's a different story.
If they prove themselves reliable allies for gun rights moving forward, I might even someday purchase another product from them. And you might as well.
As an instructor, I have always recommended RRA’s ARs without reservation to beginners. Rock River is an established company producing an excellent product. Now that will come with a giant asterisk.
As for inquiries about financial “influence”: I chuckle. I am not for sale. I have received no checks, envelopes full of dead presidents, or pledges of product or anything else from either company. Not even a t-shirt. In fact, I can’t even get a message returned from Springfield.
What’s more, it seems as though both companies have frozen out Guns Save Life from any offers of assistance in the 2A fight. That’s okay. I knew there would be fall-out for GSL after I pulled the trigger on this story at the national level.
The story had to be told.
Maybe someday you’ll see Rock River or Springfield ads in our publication. No matter the source, ad dollars or “donations” will never influence Guns Save Life’s reporting or advocacy. We will not be “bought”. We have always prided ourselves on honesty and integrity on behalf of our members in particular, and gun owners in general.
That's not going to change anytime soon.
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