Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day for 2013 - Springfield, IL Wednesday, March 6, 2013 10:45 AM

All Illinois gun owners are invited to join in Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD) in Springfield in 2013. This is an annual event where everyone goes to lobby` their representatives in the Illinois House and Senate. The ISRA is partnering with IllinoisCarry.com to increase attendance and make a bigger & better impression in Springfield. Other participating organizations are, Guns Save Life, Sangamon County Rifle Association, and the McHenry County Right To Carry Association. Get your local organization involved as well!

We will meet at the Prairie Capital Convention Center - Doors open at 10:45 with the program set to begin at 11:30 am. We will have a legislative briefing, then we will all march to the Capitol Building to locate and talk with our representatives.

When & Where: Begins Wednesday, March 6, 2013, 11:30am Starting Location: 10:45:00 am - Prairie Capital Convention Center - Doors open - View Map Located at the corner of 8th St & Adams. 12:00 pm - Prairie Capital Convention Center - Legislative Briefing 1:00 pm - Head out to lobby Senators and Representatives at the State Capitol. respectfully make our presence known in committee hearings that are in session 4:00 pm - Head to reception at Vinegar Hill Mall 107 W. Cook St. (2 blocks south of Capitol Bldg.) - NEW!! 5:00 pm - Buses depart for home (boarding at Vinegar Hill Mal) - NEW!! Parking: Several parking garages are located near the Convention Center. Metered on-street parking is available in the area. The meters accept quarters for up to a 9 hour period. More parking locations and a printable map available soon. Better Travel:

Bus Info Forget the hassle of parking near the Capitol! IGOLD will have buses going to Springfield from strategic locations throughout Illinois. Ride the bus, ride with your friends. This year there are additional buses in the Chicago area.

These gun rights organizations and retailers are sponsoring the buses to offset your cost: TBD

IllinoisCarry.com has made flyers for each bus route and they are listed with the bus info. Print and post in your local club, shop, range! Take the Train! Amtrak has trains to and from Springfield and selected cities in Illinois along a line from Chicago to St. Louis. More info here. Apparel: Wear whatever you'd feel comfortable in while you are meeting your representatives, and don't forget you'll also be representing the rest of your fellow Illinois gun owners. Business casual is suggested, dress up if you want. We suggest that you don't wear any camo. Security: There are metal detectors in the Capitol Building that you will have to pass through on your way in, so please think ahead for this: no knives, novelty ammo keyfobs, etc. Bring proper identification. Who: You, of course! ...and bring a friend. Even Better: bring two friends!

http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1037519821/Ill-House-OKs-amendments-banning-semi-auto-guns

The Illinois House on Tuesday voted in favor of bans on semi-automatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines, though the proposals still face several legislative battles before they could become law.

The approved proposals were six amendments to a bill that House Speaker Michael Madigan left blank on purpose, and they were okayed in an unusual process that Madigan began using last week to allow legislators to debate at length on contentious topics. The House still must approve the full piece of legislation for it to move to the Senate, and none of the six votes taken Tuesday as lawmakers debated what would go into the measure had the same support as what is required for a bill to pass the House.

One of the amendments would make it a felony for anyone to sell, purchase or transfer a military-style assault weapon. Should the amendment become law, it would make it illegal for civilians to possess these types of weapons after a 300-day period following the measure’s enactment.

Chicago Democratic Rep. Edward Acevedo, who sponsored two of the amendments, said civilians shouldn’t own such weapons because they were designed for “mass destruction.”

“These weapons are not for hunting. ... They’re designed to kill a group of people at one time,” Acevedo said.

Acevedo said the weapons include those that were used by the shooters in the massacres at a movie theater in Colorado and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last year.

But some Democrats and Republicans argued that the state shouldn’t decide what guns people should be allowed to have to protect their families.

Rep. Frank Mautino, a Spring Valley Democrat, also argued that a “fatal flaw” in Acevedo’s assault-weapon possession proposal was that it does not address what current assault-weapon owners should do with their firearms.

Mautino said the bill “accidentally makes felons of tens of thousands of Illinois citizens” who already own a military-style weapon.

The amendments were approved with Democratic votes only.

Republicans refused to cast votes. GOP Rep. Dennis Reboletti of Elmhurst said Madigan’s procedure puts politics before public safety.

“Why do we continue to play these games of going amendment by amendment?” Reboletti said.

Republicans have strongly opposed Madigan’s new floor-debate style. He has also used his “weekly order of business” process to discuss concealed carry and pension proposals, and Republicans also refused to vote on pension amendments Thursday.

Halfway through Tuesday’s debate, someone on the Republican sided shouted, “Stop the circus!”

Tuesday’s amendments also called for forcing individuals who would be exempted from the ban, such as members of the armed forces and jail wardens, to store their guns with a locking device that renders them inoperable or under a key or combination lock.

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