Roughly 300 Land of Lincoln patriots rolled into Springfield on April 15th for this year’s IGOLD — Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day.
A solid core of fighters made the trek, but where the hell was everybody else? The seats should’ve been packed wall-to-wall with freedom-loving Illinoisans ready to roar. Instead, the place felt half-empty, and that silence is deafening. Heck, we’ve had almost as many people at some of our monthly GSL meetings in the past.
David McDermott dropped some serious red-pill wisdom on the crowd, backed by his partner Irena Stefanovski. No fluff — just straight talk on what it really takes to keep from getting victimized by the criminal justice system in Illinois after you use force after being victimized by a criminal. We need to codify “Stand Your Ground” in Illinois to raise public awareness of its existence in our increasingly hostile state.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Good: Hats off to the ISRA for stepping up and sponsoring the event again. Somebody’s gotta carry the torch, and they did. Respect.
Also good: Props to the NRA-ILA for showing up and pressing the flesh. Thank you Fritz Fritzgerald (say that ten times in a hurry). We love the NRA 2.0 leadership.
The Bad: Only one kid of school age or younger in the whole crowd (check the feature photo — you know the one). I could’ve tripled that number, but my soon-to-be ex-wife dragged the kids off on a birthday trip. Next year, they’re coming — no excuses.
Where are the younger gun owners? Clearly, most didn’t think showing up to defend their future rights was a priority. That’s a massive red flag heading into November. If memory serves, less than half of Illinois gun owners even bothered voting in 2024. And get this: 700,000 of them aren’t even registered to vote. Seven hundred thousand armed citizens sitting on the sidelines while their rights get torched? That’s not a movement — that’s a surrender in slow motion.
Also bad: The audience overwhelmingly believed Illinois is a “Duty to Retreat” state. I was straight-up appalled. Guns Save Life members know better — and if you don’t, you need to find yourself a better concealed carry instructor AND brush up on the real deal law in Illinois. Illinois is not a stand-your-ground state by statute, but instead by Illinois Supreme Court precedent. (Spoiler alert: Hammond v. People) Ignorance like this gets good people in trouble and a felony status.
The Ugly: Springfield is looking rough. Unmowed lots, the old Hilton and the rest of the block across the street boarded up like a war zone, and sketchy characters loitering on the sidewalks. ISRA wisely brought in off-duty cops in uniform for security inside… but next year?
Post a couple of them a block or two out in every direction. Make sure the good guys don’t get rolled walking back to their cars. (I wasn’t sweating the two mopes I spotted — I didn’t plan on going through magnetometers — but most folks did.)
Really Ugly: Bob Fioretti was there, smiling like he belongs. Yeah, that Bob Fioretti — the guy now running for Illinois Attorney General as a Republican.
Remember him? He marched arm-in-arm with Father Pfleger — Chicago’s most infamous gun-grabbing priest, the one who publicly suggested assassinating John Riggio, owner of Chuck’s Guns — alongside Jesse Jackson.
All to try and shut down a lawful gun shop. Now this same character is running for the state’s top law enforcement job… on the Republican ticket.
I’m not sure if the Dems are secretly funding this circus to guarantee Kwame Raoul’s re-election (which was never really in doubt), but it sure smells like a setup. Either way, gun owners should be paying very close attention.
I wouldn’t urinate on this guy if his toupee was on fire, much less vote for him.
Hints for Next Year (ISRA, Are You Listening?)
If leadership changes or they finally decide to crank this thing up to eleven, here’s some straight talk:
- Save the cash. Ditch the oversized venue. Rent something that fits 250-400 people max… unless you actually commit to #2.
- Bring IGOLD back to its roots — a true coalition of ALL the gun groups, ranges, and clubs across Illinois. Shared podium time. Shared promo. Free tables for non-profits. Give people real ownership and input. That builds turnout. Right now it feels like an ISRA-only show, and that limits how big this can get. Are we here to make a profit, or to flood Springfield with gun owners and scare the hell out of anti-gun politicians?
- Don’t negotiate anti-gun bills. Period. Don’t help them make a bad bill better. Don’t even think about doing it. Don’t help those who do. Draw the damn line.
Illinois gun owners have the numbers. We have the tools. What we need now is fire in the belly and boots on the ground. November is coming fast. If 300 is the best we can do when our rights are under daily assault, we’re in bigger trouble than we think.
Next year, we should all work together to make IGOLD impossible to ignore. Show up. Bring the kids. Bring your friends. Bring the energy.
The fight isn’t optional.
Lock and load, Illinois. See you in Springfield in 2027 — and this time, let’s fill the damn place.