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Grassroots Second Amendment Activism: Guns Save Life in Springfield, IL

John Boch - comments No comments

Guns Save Life hosts six (soon to be seven) meetings across Illinois each and every month. The Illinois grassroots gun rights organization works hard to educate the public and politicians alike, while keeping gun owners up to date, too. All the while GSL has a good time doing it at well-attended monthly meetings.

The two gents above aren’t holding the GSL Sangamon County Regional Director Dale Lock hostage. Instead, they’re proudly showing off the new pistols they won at the March 4, 2019 meeting at SCHEELS in Springfield.

All in all, about 120 showed up for Monday night’s meeting. It made for a full house.

TTAG/GSL Photo by Boch.

Richard Pearson, the Executive Director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, served as our main speaker.  GSL and ISRA have grown closer in the past couple of years. Frankly, with new Democrat Governor JB Pritzker and Democrat super-majorities in the General Assembly, we need to work cooperatively.

ISRA Executive Director Rich Pearson (TTAG/GSL Photo by Boch.)

Pearson gave us an update on some things ISRA, like Guns Save Life, is doing to advance the cause of gun rights in a very difficult time. Something new at ISRA’s website is a real-time listing of legislation of interest to gun owners along with the last status of the bills.

For our Technical presentation – “Tech Time” – world renowned exhibition shooter and master gunsmith “Badlands” Bill Oglesby gave us a primer on tearing down a 1911.

Bill Oglesby. TTAG/GSL Photo by Boch.

Oglesby has dazzled crowds for decades with his exhibition shooting, dazzling audiences with one incredible, seemingly impossible shot after another. He’ll play golf with his revolver, calling his shots every time (hook, slice, pull, etc.). He can shoot five balloons with five shots so fast it sounds like a single shot.

He has also appeared on a number of TV shows. Here’s a clip from the History Channel.

And one for the Discovery network.

The group also heard from Hannah Chapman, the Suicide Prevention Case Manager from the VA hospital in Peoria. She reminded folks that the VA has a hotline for those having issues. Calling it, she assured the crowd, doesn’t mean the automatic loss of an Illinois Firearms Owner ID card.

TTAG/GSL Photo by Boch.

We rounded out the evening with drawings, including those two .22 revolvers.

Even if your state doesn’t have a Guns Save Life chapter, get involved in the gun rights fight. Because Michael Bloomberg’s money has bought a lot of influence in state legislatures nationwide. Just because you don’t have an interest in politics doesn’t mean the politicians who have been bought and paid for by Bloomberg won’t take an interest in you and your gun rights.

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