Prairie State Wire

The Illinois State Rifle Association is holding its annual Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day (IGOLD) on Wednesday, March 29.

“The Illinois State Rifle Association and others are suing the State of Illinois over its unconstitutional ban on most semi-automatic firearms. Please take the day off and attend this event,” ISRA said in a press release.

“We encourage every gun club and hunting club to sponsor a bus or set up a carpool to attend IGOLD.”

ISRA asks attendees to meet up at the Bank of Springfield Convention Center located at 1 Convention Center Plaza in Springfield.

The event schedule is as below:

“Schedule of events:

Doors open at 10:30

(The concession stand will also open at 10:30)

The program starts at 11:30

You will all receive cards with the bills we support and oppose in the House and the Senate to deliver to your state representatives and senators.  

March to the Capitol at 1:00

Capitol steps 1:15 -1:20

Farewell rally in the Rotunda 2:15

Depart 2:45,” ISRA said.

This year’s IGOLD takes place after the state passed the most restrictive gun ban in the country.

ISRA, the Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc. and the Second Amendment Foundation, along with several gun owners from across Illinois have filed joint action in federal court against the State of Illinois over the sweeping gun ban enacted in early January.

As many as five million firearms and 10 million magazines in the state were to have been banned under the law.

At least 95 sheriffs in Illinois have said they will not enforce the ban on over 170 types of firearms.

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick has been the focal point of a campaign by Democrats to diminish the effort by the state’s sheriffs to fight back against what they see as constitutional overreach.

Mendrick told Chicago’s Morning Answer radio host Dan Proft that U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) called him and “got nasty”

Mendrick said in addition to being unconstitutional the law is ineffective.

"There is absolutely nothing that we are doing or not doing that would make a mass shooting more accessible in DuPage County," Mendrick said. "In fact, I have asked on multiple occasions to increase penalties on all existing gun crimes, but it does not appear that they want to have that conversation.”

The 5th District Court of Appeals upheld Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison’s ruling noting the law’s unconstitutionality and issued a temporary restraining order.

That means the law will not be implemented in that county until it can be heard in court. In the wake of the Effingham County challenge nearly 1,700 additional plaintiffs have signed onto the legal action.

“We will see if the state wants to appeal. If not, we’ll work on getting this pursued to a final ruling so we can get to the merits of these issues, sooner rather than later,” Greenville attorney Thomas DeVore, last year’s GOP candidate for attorney general, told The Center Square.

The gun ban has been fast-tracked by the Illinois Supreme Court which will hear arguments on the case in May.