Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) Executive Director Richard Pearson wants gun rights to be at the forefront in 2021.
“There are many that can’t wait to see 2021 because they hope things will get better,” Pearson wrote in a posting on the ISRA's website. “I think the hope that things will get better in 2021 is on tenuous footing. Hope, as I always point out, is poor strategy.”
Pearson said that President Trump had gun owners’ backs in 2020, but that will likely not be the case in 2021.
“It looks like we will have an anti-gun president appointing advisors and cabinet members who are anti-gun, and Red China will no longer be at the gates, but in the Oval Office," Pearson wrote. “The future doesn’t look all that bright as far as I am concerned. I think we may look back on 2020 as the good old days.”
Pearson wrote that 2021 was important for gun rights and that the Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day (IGOLD) is scheduled for April 21.
“Of course we are not totally sure what will happen with the COVID-19 pandemic but this is a really important year for all gun owners to be there,” Pearson wrote. “There will be more details around the 1st of February, but this will allow you to make plans now.”
Pearson also wrote about a bill introduced by State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) that he believes would harm gun owners.
“This bill, if passed, would require a $1,000,000 liability policy to have a FOID card,” Pearson wrote. “The purpose of the liability policy is to cover criminal act. No company writes such a policy.”
Pearson said the bill was referred to the Rule Committee and will die on Jan. 13 if it is not passed before then.
Pearson noted that the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recently rescinded its ruling on stabilizing braces for AR-15s and other similar firearms.
“These rules are subjective so before you go out celebrating, understand these rules can be changed again, and again, without much logic,” Pearson wrote. “Stabilizing braces are a political football and I would say these braces are low-hanging fruit the new president will try to pick off and crow about.”
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