By Paul Lathrop
Contributing Editor
The Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day, known as IGOLD, has been cancelled this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
Started in the early 1990s as a small gathering of approximately 200 people with the goal of changing the perception of the gun owner, the IGOLD event has grown in stature with thousands of gun owners who have annually marched to the Capitol in Springfield.
The event has grown tremendously, from a few hundred at first and then in the 2013 rally and lobby day 8,200 gun owners were in attendance.
In a statement on their Facebook page ISRA has stated that because of restrictions on crowd size and other issues that they have had to postpone the 2021 event until Wednesday, April 6th, 2022.
TGM spoke with Richard Pearson, Director of the ISRA. “We had to delay last year’s too and we are still caught in the epidemic and so we have restrictions on entry into the capitol building and parades. It’s just impossible to do.”
“We certainly hope all this stuff is gone by next year.” Pearson said, referring to the COVID restrictions.
Pearson also stated that training videos and other materials are being posted to the ISRA website to aid those who are looking to make contact with their Illinois Representatives.
