Hundreds of Illinois gun owners headed to the Capitol on March 18 for the annual Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD) to advocate for their Second Amendment rights.
Marching from the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield to the state Capitol, members from the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) and gun owners from across Illinois met with lawmakers to lobby for the expansion of Illinois’ concealed carry law.
Illinois was the last state in the Union to implement concealed carry in 2014, and has some of the country’s most stringent regulations. Currently, there are 23 different gun-free zones throughout the state that do not allow permission of a weapon regardless of the gun owner’s licensure. Legislation has been introduced that would expand the number of places that responsible, licensed gun owners can carry.