As I’ve mentioned before, we Americans must either stand up for our gun rights, or see them vanish the way they have vanished in other countries. I’ve also mentioned that Illinois is the front lines when it comes to the struggle for gun rights, as IL cities are the only ones left with handgun bans, IL is one of only two states that completely bans concealed carry, and Cook County, IL is constantly trying to enact new draconian gun bans. And so, I have a suggestion for those that care about gun rights, both in Illinois and the country as a whole:
Join the Illinois State Rifle Association – even if you don’t live in Illinois.
The ISRA does a great job fighting for the gun rights of Illinois citizens, as is expected. However their work also benefits gun owners in every state. This is because anti gun laws that are passed in Illinois today can and do trickle down to other states (or the federal government) tomorrow. For example, the village of Oak Park, IL passed a ban on so-called “assault weapons” years before the federal government and other states/cities enacted similar bans. The city of Chicago (and many of its suburbs) enacted handgun bans in the 1980’s, and cities such as San Francisco have followed suit (although luckily the San Francisco handgun ban was struck down in court). Simply put, Illinois is where anti gun laws are often able to get traction, and stopping such laws in Illinois can prevent us from having to later fight such laws in a dozen other states.