207 replies to this topic

[4thestars]

This was my first IGOLD and I was pleased to meet so many awesome people.

The wind was whipping my sign and my pigtails all over the place, but the temperatures were just right. I was up front with most of the women, but more toward the back (back of the front, that is - LOL). When we got up on those steps and I looked back toward the rest of the marchers still marching -wow- I almost cried it was such an overwhelming sight.

I think that we are making a difference. Especially - especially - those awesome women in Chicago. I thank you gals from the bottom of my heart and I also thank the folks from downstate who are helping them out.

[Lou]

TyGuy, on 07 March 2012 - 10:12 PM, said:

They might even still have some if you want. IDK.  Which one were you Xwing?  The guy with the laptop or the other guy with the ipad?

I was trying to say HEY to you guys but you were so busuy I didn't want to distract you.

GREAT job guys!!!

[mikew]

TyGuy, on 08 March 2012 - 09:16 AM, said:

Thanks.  I almost brought a sticker that said "Hi, my name is TyGuy"

Thanks for being there and volunteering!

Mike.

[mikew]

Xwing, on 07 March 2012 - 10:07 PM, said:

However, I can't believe they ran out of snake t-shirts and sweatshirts!!!!  I was there at 11:35am, and they were out of every size already.     Someone did not order enough.  

We will forever either order too many or not enough.
It's very tough to gauge.

There are no more of them at the office, I can assure you.
We bring them all to the event.

I hope that we ran out of the Rosie shirts, too.

[TyGuy]

What that you singing the National Anthem Mike?  I couldn't see well from the back of the hall.

[mikew]

TyGuy, on 08 March 2012 - 10:56 AM, said:

What that you singing the National Anthem Mike?  I couldn't see well from the back of the hall.

It was not, but it's a running joke between the Rowes and me that I will sing the National Anthem.

Oh well, there's always 2013.

[TyGuy]

What I heard was, "the first IGOLD after RTC passes I will sing the national anthem."  You heard it here first folks!

Thanks for helping to put together such a great day.  

BTW - What is the deal with being a host?  I guess I just want to get more involved.  IGOLD doesn't happen without a lot of people helping out, and I want to be one of those people again.

[Don Gwinn]

Yas, on 07 March 2012 - 09:19 PM, said:

We really need to figure out what we can do for Molly, I noticed in her speech she was starting to lose her voice  in yet another IGOLD.  Double her vitamins the week of the event or something . . . . .

The main thing we can do for Molly is to spread out labor and responsibility as much as we can, so she can focus on her core role as spokesperson, speaker overall organizer.  We've made a good start on that since last year.  I've got a core group who keep coming back to be IGOLD marshals, and I'd like to build that list and start reaching out to that group with chances to volunteer in other ways.  If you'd like to be on that list, PM me your email or send me an email with the subject "Illinois Carry Volunteer" and I'll gladly add you to it.  I'm envisioning a group of people who aren't going to volunteer every time the opportunity comes up, but would like to be among the first asked when help is needed.
This is not a fully developed idea and I haven't run it past anyone else yet, just kind of thinking aloud on the forum here, but I think it could be useful.

[tricky1]

I am wearing my IGOLD shirt today to raise awareness/some hairs in my area. No one has said anything yet.  Although we aren't exactly liberal here our county is one that hasn't passed a pro 2A resolution. The county board skirted the issue when it came up.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

[mikew]

TyGuy, on 08 March 2012 - 11:55 AM, said:

What I heard was, "the first IGOLD after RTC passes I will sing the national anthem."  You heard it here first folks!

Your hearing is a little faulty.

PM sent.

[Drylok]

I heard someone say yesturday that Mark the sign guy is in the hospital. Does anyone know what happened to him and if he's ok?

[F12Mahon]

I and my daughter Siri had a great time at our first IGOLD. Siri was interviewed my Illinois Public Radio. I can't find much about it on the net. Met tricky1 and his wife. Nice folks. The Rockford/Mendota bus had 6 to 8 empty seats. Everyone at the tables was so busy that I didn't bother trying to introduce myself. The afterparty was a great idea but we had to catch a bus and I had to be up for work the nest day. More time to meet and greet people we only know on the forum would be great.

During the speeches someone mentioned "ringers" who may try to disrupt us. Siri is sitting in an end chair and and I'm next to her. There are two empty chairs, another guy and then a bunch of empty chairs. A lovely lady sits right next to me, nice brown and cream dress, nice shoes with some heel, no IGOLD shirt, hat, hoodie, stickers, nothing yellow. All those empty seats and she sits next to me.I start thinking "ringer" and feeling a little intimidated. I think it was Valinda or Dr. Hupp, who asked us to stand and stretch and pat our behinds. Then she said "not your neighbors behind" . Lady next to me said "Darn!" I look over at her and say "Say!" but she just watches the podium. After some heart rending speches by Dr. Hupp and ""Ronnie"(sp?) the lady next to me leaves and I relax. After the march my daughter and I and tricky1 and his wife are going through the capital building and I run into the Lady in brown again and she asks if I'm looking for something, I told her what room we were looking for and she directed me. I ;then asked who she was. She gave me her name, which I promptly forgot, and said she was an ISRA lobbyist. I thanked her for her work and continued on my way.

After going to our Rep. Jerry Mitchel's office we were standing a group waiting for the elevator when this guy comes along and know one of the people and and some of the others are from his district. The guy turns out to be Rep. Bill Mitchell. He asks if we want' to go on the house floor. "Sure!" We get to stand behind the speakers podium and have a group picture taken. "Woohoo!'

This was the first time I have ever been to the capital building. What a beautiful building!

It's hard to compress so much from the day into a few sentences.

Eugene

[lee n. field]

Vaden, on 08 March 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

Next years challenge...where will we leave our concealed weapons since they wont be allowed on the state capitol grounds when we march in to fight to get rid of FOID and Blair-Holt!

Fah!  No way they'd have enough gun lockers.

[lee n. field]

F12Mahon, on 08 March 2012 - 08:06 PM, said:

I and my daughter Siri had a great time at our first IGOLD. Siri was interviewed my Illinois Public Radio. I can't find much about it on the net. Met tricky1 and his wife. Nice folks. The Rockford/Mendota bus had 6 to 8 empty seats.

47 people on the list.  One no-show at Rockford, one listed but was on the Woodstock bus.  Took on one stray at Mendota.  IIRC we were starting with 9 extra seats.

Quote

Everyone at the tables was so busy that I didn't bother trying to introduce myself. The afterparty was a great idea but we had to catch a bus and I had to be up for work the nest day. More time to meet and greet people we only know on the forum would be great.

..
During the speeches someone mentioned "ringers" who may try to disrupt us.

Yup, wish I could have stayed.

To the best of my knowledge (which is limited) nobody has baited us yet.  I think the numbers would be highly disproportionate.  Tellingly, embarrassingly disproportionate for them.

Quote

This was the first time I have ever been to the capital building. What a beautiful building!

Oh, you haven't seen the half of it, what with the west part, with it's murals and staircase, blocked off.

Edited by lee n. field, 08 March 2012 - 09:04 PM.

[Molly B.]

From our friend Glenn Garamoni at State Line Rifle Assoc.

Quote

March 8, 2012
Report on IGOLD 2012

Dear gun-owning and freedom-loving friends,

Yesterday I got to attend IGOLD; and what a beautiful scene of American citizenship it was!  Thousands of our fellow gun-owners and card-carrying patriots from Harrisburg to Antioch took advantage of this opportunity to exercise their First Amendment rights in order to affect a repossession of their (and everyone’s) Second Amendment rights. To witness, and be a part of this gathering of people who take seriously good citizenship, self-responsibility, and  restoration of our rightful inheritance of traditional American freedoms and all else that we hold dear, was truly inspiring and cause for a re-commitment on my own part to influence essential changes and reforms in our state government.

This event was a virtual who’s- who of the REAL leaders in Illinois. It was wonderful to associate with blue-collar (and with no intention of ignoring my hard-working and dedicated professional friends) people who are so well-informed, jealous of their rights that have been denied, and furthermore very capable to articulate and promote the ideas that most politicians don’t have a clue about or perhaps despise.   Some examples of the people that I heard, met and talked to ( but by no means is even close to all- inclusive): the selfless men and women who have pursued lawsuits against the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois challenging the anti-gun abuses,  John Horstman- courageous individual  and successful precedent for fanny-pack carry and “six seconds to safety”, Richard Pearson and the officers of ISRA, Tom Shafer- outspoken Illinois gun-rights activist,  John Boch-President Gunssavelife,  Valinda Rowe-Illinois Carry- “the hardest working woman civil-rights leader in Illinois”,  Jim Butler-Chairman  Sangamon County Rifle Assn.,   MCSA officers and members, MCR2CA members,  Lake County FNRA organizers,  and our own SLRA members and officers John, Ellen, Jim, Phil, and Don ( who is working diligently to unseat the gun-hating and otherwise odious Sen. Terry Link by running for that office himself). Also, a handful of state elected officials who actually honor their oath and pro-actively work to restore our rights, gave passionate and motivating speeches to the crowd on the Capitol steps.

As it was apparent yesterday that we are progressing, and getting closer to realizing conceal-carry in Illinois, it will take a renewed effort on all of our parts to make it happen. I trust that we can do it. Let’s make a personal commitment for Illinois to be a place where we can exercise our God-given freedoms without fear of prosecution by the corrupt and self-serving establishment currently holding power and still clinging to the perverse policies of punishing the innocent and rewarding the guilty.
As I am hoping for passage of conceal-carry in 2012, there might not be a need for more IGOLD’s in the future.  But, to have the pleasure of associating with such fine people might be a reason to get together again soon to celebrate!

Glenn Garamoni
State Line Rifle Association
Mundelein, IL

[TyGuy]

Yeah, the good bathrooms were blocked.  :-(

[Drylok]

There will always be a need for IGOLD but ya, that was a great letter from Mr Garamoni

[mikew]

lee n. field, on 08 March 2012 - 08:53 PM, said:

Vaden, on 08 March 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

Next years challenge...where will we leave our concealed weapons since they wont be allowed on the state capitol grounds when we march in to fight to get rid of FOID and Blair-Holt!

Fah!  No way they'd have enough gun lockers.

We'll have a giant pegboard in the PCCC.    

[TyGuy]

Drylok, on 08 March 2012 - 10:32 PM, said:

There will always be a need for IGOLD ...

yup, and we'll always be there, well, until I walk the streets of gold anyway

[Xwing]

TyGuy, on 07 March 2012 - 10:12 PM, said:

Which one were you Xwing? The guy with the laptop or the other guy with the ipad?

I was the guy standing up, using my iPhone, on the right of the table by the maps.  I should’ve introduced myself.

mikew, on 08 March 2012 - 10:55 AM, said:

We will forever either order too many or not enough.
It's very tough to gauge.

I believe you.  I imagine it is tough to figure out the right number.  But I think you run out of shirts every year.  Every time I try to buy one right before or after the march, I seem to run out of luck.  Please order more next year!   I think a lot of people bought Rosie shirts b/c that was all that was left.  Those don’t look good on a guy, IMO.  (And I did hear the same comment from several others that were trying to get a Snake t-shirt too.)  BTW, loved the idea of buying a hoodie in addition to a t-shirt.

[Holtzd56]

My first IGOLD from Dundee bus. Going again next year.Chicago never has much on IGOLD. Last year ABC in Chicago had about 20 seconds on IGOLD. This year is was about the same. I didn't see any other Chicago staion having anthing on IGOLD. Not hard to figure who and what they favor.

[BadWaterBill]

One NICE thing about them running out. Next year there will be a slightly different shirt.

You can tell the SALTY folks by the many different designs of the IGOLD stuff they wear.

[huntall6]

my local paper reported almost 1,500 attended the Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day rally.  we got less then 150 words in my local paper!  ugh.  i can assure you that everyone i work with or associate with knows that there were around 4000 people there ON A WEDNESDAY!  i will be a regular attendee from here on out!-----hopefully, i will have to check my weapon at the door at the capitol from here on out....

[gravyboy77]

skip ahead to 3:40.....That's Awesome!!!

[Lou]

WOW!! I'm glad someone captured it.  I was still manning one of the checkpoints and missed it.

[lee n. field]

mikew, on 09 March 2012 - 08:40 AM, said:

lee n. field, on 08 March 2012 - 08:53 PM, said:

Vaden, on 08 March 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

Next years challenge...where will we leave our concealed weapons since they wont be allowed on the state capitol grounds when we march in to fight to get rid of FOID and Blair-Holt!

Fah!  No way they'd have enough gun lockers.

We'll have a giant pegboard in the PCCC.    

I can see it: next year we have to call for a volunteer for gun check guy.

[moparcardave]

I pass the Luby's Cafeteria here in Killeen all the time, though now it is not Luby's. Each time I pass it I think of the horrors that happened there and glad you had D. Suzanna Hupp as your speaker.  It just reminds me always, if not going onto Ft Hood to have my firearm with me and ready.  Keep fighting guys and congrats on the huge turnout.

Molly B., on 16 January 2012 - 05:05 PM, said:

Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
  Prairie Capital Convention Center
  Springfield, IL

Featured Speaker - Dr. Suzanna Hupp

Survivor of the Luby Cafeteria Massacre and a key figure in passing concealed carry law in Texas.

  IllinoisCarry is one of the  co-sponsors of IGOLD and we need your support to make it happen!

Contribute here and add the word "IGOLD" to the notes.

IGOLD $2023.jpg

[junglebob]

TyGuy, on 09 March 2012 - 10:16 AM, said:

Drylok, on 08 March 2012 - 10:32 PM, said:

There will always be a need for IGOLD ...

yup, and we'll always be there, well, until I walk the streets of gold anyway

Hoping we can both make it there til then.  Do any nursing homes provide transportation to IGOLD?