Meet John Weber. He works as the NRA-ILA lobbyist for Illinois. He brings good news that the NRA-ILA has not abandoned Illinois, either in the General Assembly or in litigation. Unfortunately, most of their bigger victories of late have happened outside of Illinois.
NRA-ILA is the wing of the National Rifle Association that takes care of politics and litigation, two things very important to us in Illinois as well as gun owners nationally.
Sure, we’ve taken some big losses in the Land of Lincoln. That happens when legislators drop a very bad bill in the middle of the night on the last day of session and hold a vote twenty minutes later. The gun control cabal love to “gut and replace” an innocuous bill that is poised for passage and then hold one last vote on it minutes later.
The radical Democrats running the House and Senate did that with the Red Flag law, the SAFE-T Act and plenty of others before that. Obviously, a little over a year ago they did this with the so-called Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA). “There’s not a lot we can do about that other than take them to court.”
Which is what the NRA-ILA did with the PICA gun ban. NRA went out and hired arguably the best 2nd Amendment litigator in the nation to strike down the new unconstitutional law. They retained Paul Clement, the former US Solicitor General and the same guy who successfully argued the Bruen decision.
John Weber (and his ally from the NRA-ILA Frontlines Activist Division leader Fritz Fitzgerald in Danville Monday night) lauded Guns Save Life and its leadership for the group’s work and the incredibly successful grassroots meetings across Illinois. Weber thanked GSL for their support both publicly and behind the scenes. “Guns Save Life has been true friends” to both him and the NRA-ILA since he started.
Weber talked about some of the work they’ve accomplished at the national level, including stopping the ban on turning veterans who need help with financial matters into prohibited persons when it comes to their gun rights. He cited the incredible pressure from the Biden Administration to push Red Flag laws and to weaponize government agencies against gun dealers and gun owners. Then there is the whole issue of using private companies, including banks, to track firearms and ammunition purchases using Artificial Intelligence scanning merchant purchase codes.
With LaPierre gone at the NRA HQ, they’re seeing more energy and excitement. This in large part to growing membership and donations starting to return. At NRA-ILA, Weber assured us that they are now fully funded and staffed up ready to attack gun control efforts at every turn, without Wayne LaPierre drama holding them back or limiting their funding and staffing.
Even with one arm held behind their backs with LaPierre issues, they still managed to help get Constitutional Carry measures passed in a number of states, including two earlier this year. “We’re kicking ass,” Weber said. “But it keeps all of us busy.”
Weber spoke at both the Danville GSL meeting on Monday and the Rantoul GSL meeting on Tuesday. He’s slated to speak in Charleston on Thursday evening.
In question and answer, folks had some good questions. When asked why the NRA hadn’t been more involved in testimony, etc., Weber noted how some of the pols would grandstand in his presence, almost as if trying to create some campaign footage of them beating up the evil bogeyman NRA. “If us showing up will serve no positive purpose, or will be counter-productive, then we’re not going to appear.” And frankly, most committee hearings have a pre-ordained outcome… and if it’s in doubt, leadership will temporarily substitute reliable votes for unknown committee members.
But frankly, the worst stuff comes in the middle of the night so the Democrat leadership doesn’t even have to pretend to seek input from stakeholders or the little people.
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