The fallout from Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms funneling campaign contributions to some of Illinois’ most anti-gun rights pols through the Illinois Firearms Manufacturer’s Association has evoked strong feelings from many. Some, like Arie Friedman feel deep betrayal.
If you’re not familiar with him, Mr. Friedman challenged the city of Highland Park’s scary black gun ban as a plaintiff in the lawsuit Friedman v. Highland Park. The Supreme Court did not grant certiori to his appeal, so his case died and Highland Park’s gun ban remains in place. For now.
In addition to his landmark civil rights case, Mr. Friedman ran for an Illinois state Senate seat. He says his opponent got a large cash infusion from Senate President John Cullerton’s campaign war chest. Now Mr. Friedman sees that some of that money might have come from Springfield Armory, a company that he supported and purchased guns from.
Imagine learning that you’ve un-knowingly funded your own political opponent through your gun purchases. No wonder Mr. Freidman feels betrayed. As Springfield and Rock River are learning, decisions as to which candidates you support have real world consequences.
From Mr. Freidman’s post at IllinoisCarry.com:
For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Arie Friedman. I’m the Friedman from the Friedman vs Highland Park assault weapons ban court case that ultimately got rejected for appeal by the Supreme Court. Additionally, I ran for Illinois State Senate (29th District) in 2012 as a pro-2nd Amendment candidate against now State Senator Julie Morrison who is an adamant gun grabber.
2012 was not a good year for Republicans in Illinois but I raised a large amount of money, campaigned non-stop and came closer to winning than many other highly competitive GOP candidates that year. My opponent, on the other hand, had difficulty raising money and was an extremely lackluster campaigner. As a result, she received numerous large infusions of cash directly from democrat State Senate President John Cullerton.
Without that money, I believe she would possibly have lost the election. Now it turns out that some of that democrat campaign slush fund cash came from Springfield Arms and Rock River Armory via their lobbying arm, the Illinois Firearm Manufacturers Association.
In particular, I am deeply hurt that Springfield Arms, a company whose firearms I own and have carried, played a role in defeating me and other pro-2nd Amendment candidates in 2012 and other years as well. To find out that my efforts were being undermined by the very industry I was campaigning to support comes as a shock.
Shame on them.
I want a personal apology.
Damn….
Springfield Armory, again, once more with feeling, you are dead to me!
Yeah, SA and RRA are screwed. Everyone hates lobbyists for a reason.
OK, this is going a bit far with the feelz.
They would have given your opponent the cash injection regardless. You lost an election, not because of money, but because you ran as what you are (nothing wrong with that) in Illinois which is a deep blue state. It was an uphill battle from the start, kudos on even getting into the fight but…
As much as I hate to do this, Sean Connery said it best: “Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen”.
Quit whining and put together a better campaign to unseat your opponent or STFU and go be quiet somewhere else. Don’t sit here and try to pass off your own failures by riding the coattails of a news story.
Why would you hate to quote Sean Connery?
Wow, this comment section is completely infiltrated with Springfield Armory trolls. Go away.
At no point have I trolled “for SA”. I don’t even like most of their stuff, something I’ve made abundantly clear.
Yeah, let’s dump on bitch-ass Dr. Friedman. Let’s see, he served as a naval aviator in the first gulf war, ran for office to try to help clean up IL, then took his AWB challenge all the way to SCOUTS for the benefit of us all. And he doesn’t have the right to be pissed about getting stabbed in the back?
Pardon me while I take his side on this one.
Past accolades don’t excuse current behavior.
he’s entitled. let him whine.
jc pointed out some of friedman’s accomplishments, there may have been accolades for him, but madigan will be receiving some soon as well.
True, it’s not Springfield’s fault Friedman lost, especially if he ran as a principled Republican in northern Illinois. There was probably no way he would ever have won.
Still, there’s extra sting in it when somebody who was supposed to be on your side was actually playing both sides. Symbolic betrayal still feels like betrayal.
The sting I get. Voicing disappointment I get. Blame however, no dice. Right after he lost? I’d give him a pass on the blame too, and write it off as a stage of mild grief, but not five years later.
Politics is a knife fight in a telephone booth and you know that, or should know that going in.
The fallout keeps spreading out. It’s gone too far for containment now. Damage control can only be interpreted as spin at this point. Sorry Rock River Arms and Springfield Armory. You’re blacklisted.
In this business, you need to be all in, not just another corporate game player. It’s a special place you inhabit with special responsibilities.
I know, I know: “It’s just business…..everyone does it….don’t be naive….” I get it. Now you get this: YOU chose to make your living in a highly charged political industry, one with societal implications far beyond widgets on an assembly line in just another factory. You betrayed a trust and now that betrayal carries consequences in the market.
I swear to god the next guy to tell me “That’s how the sausage is made” deserves to die of testicular cancer.
That’s how the sausage is made.
That’s how sausage is made.
Dang. Too late. No cancer for me.
The process does not always produce tasty, juicy sausage. Sometimes it produces crappy pig parts encased in intestine that you wouldn’t feed to your dog.
I may deserve it, but that doesn’t mean it’ll happen. So cheer up! We’re both still in the running. 🙂
If I were an employee at either company, I would seriously be considering some workplace violence.
Any way this goes, a majority of them are going to be looking for work.
At this point, I’m thinking about picking up a XD cheap, killing it with fire until it’s a melted conglomerate shaped like horse pucky, slapping some Grip Zone panels on it, and sending it back to Springfield.
Nah, I’m just waiting for the videos of people dropping off their Springfields at Rahm’s next buyback…
I’m just thinking of picking up an XD cheap. I like those guns and want another one.
getting rid of mine won’t change the company’s bottom line. I like mine too. oh well.
Yep. Keeping or selling yours doesn’t do anything for – or to – the company, except perhaps very indirectly down the road in terms of spare parts sales.
On the other hand, if you want to buy another one, but don’t want the sale to help the company, consider a used one. Yeah, GunBroker is overpriced, but sometimes you pay for your principles.
In any case, SA doesn’t make them themselves, as far as I know they’re imported.
My father’s 1911 Trophy Match will still look very nice in my safe one day, this kerfluffle will just make having it a little more interesting when that day comes… God willing not soon.
And the hits just keep on coming . . . .
Off topic breaking news. Texas constitutional carry has moved out of committee and is heading for a floor vote?
Oh yeah, fug SA
If it’s possible THIS 64 year Illinois resident is even more pissed off. Springfield Armory is DEAD.
Why would they (IFMA) give campaign contributions to Cullterton??? If he was moderate, It would be more understandable that they were trying to buy his vote, but he is as liberal as they come, and extremely anti-gun.
If a PAC sticks its nose far enough up some statist ass, he might throw them an occasional bone in some non-public way, like making sure a bad bill dies in committee.
The more I learn about how things get done in Springfield and Washington, the sicker I get.
Every filthy collaborator who has either sided with or has considered giving the benefit of the doubt to these 2 scumbag companies, Springfield Armory and Rock Rivers Arms, should be forced to read this. There is no forgiveness. SA and RRA MUST BE BOYCOTTED INTO BANKRUPTCY!!!!!!
As generation 2.0 gun owner I will not be buying from these two traitors. My saved money will go to another gun company I can trust to support gun civil rights.
Dennis apparently has an integrity problem… we can’t believe any of the Springfield Armory statements. Back in 1989, he got in trouble for bribery.
“Prosecutors cleared the way for the indictment last month when Dennis Reese, president of Springfield Armory Inc. of Geneseo, Ill., who alleged arranged the payoffs, pleaded guilty to lesser charges and agreed to cooperate with investigators.”
http://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/03/16/Salvador-based-Army-colonel-indicted-on-bribery-charges/5406606027600/
When I saw that picture, all I could think was, “It’th inconthievable!”
Judas: Springfield Arms and RRA are getting a plateful! you product is dead to me anything with Springfield name on it, so boo hoo, file chapter 13
Longtime subscriber, first time poster.
I’m glad I am a subscriber to TTAG. The reviews alone are worth it. They have helped me steer away from bad gun purchase decisions and steered me towards good purchasing decisions. Plus, since it isn’t a part of the Internet Forum blob known as Vertical Scope – a leftist PC internet outfit out of Ontario Canada – TTAG isnt a bunch of ass-kissing fuckwits bowing to their corporate masters.
I bought a SA XDS in 9mm last year in my search for an EDC gun. But after shooting 500 rounds thru it at the range, I had already decided to sell it and buy a Glock 19. The XDS has too much muzzle flip due to being topheavy, the trigger sucks, the grip sucks and the mags are expensive.
But after reading here on TTAG of Rock River Arms, Springfield Arms and their meatpuppet IFMA’s backstabbing sellout of we People Of The Gun? Fuck ’em! I took my XDS to my local gun store and it is on consignment sale as I type this.
I am a member & supporter of NRA, SAF Second Amendment Foundation, USCCA and Judicial Watch. The 2A is the sole Amendment that ensures our nation’s continued existence. WIthout 2A, the leftist would turn our country into a borderless Third World Shithole.
They already did despite 2A. With the help of useless, “principled” cuckservatives.