Illinois gun owners gathered in Springfield Wednesday for this year’s Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD).
Those in attendance sent a message to lawmakers in the capitol: gun owners are not backing down as Democrats in Springfield continue to push restrictive firearm policies.
After ceremonies at the Bank of Springfield Center, attendees marched to the Capitol to rally, hear from speakers, and lobby lawmakers.
Among those to spoke was State Representative Brad Fritts of Dixon.
Speakers argued that while Springfield Democrats push stricter gun laws on law-abiding citizens, they have failed to address violent crime in cities like Chicago. They also said that Democrat gun policies have made it harder for responsible residents to defend themselves while doing little to stop criminals.