The Dirty Baker’s Dozen: Gun Control Groups Descend on Illinois

This year we have a whole new crop of gun control advocates working the halls of the capitol here in Springfield. Many of these lobbyists have worked in the major leagues of sleazy politics in Washington. Now they ply their trade tirelessly to bring still more gun control to Abe Lincoln’s home state. Sadly, if we aren’t careful, they just might succeed.

In Illinois, we’ve always had our share of leftist foundations and limousine liberals funding homegrown gun control groups.  Backed by Chicago’s mainstream media and leftist Democrat machine, they perennially have a new “solution” to the violence plaguing The City of Big Shoulders.

It’s always a new flavor of the same noxious concoction. More failed gun control for the law-abiding while they ignore Chicago’s violent gangs.

This year, Donald Trump’s election has already started to drain the swamp in Washington D.C. Today, anyone with an IQ high enough to open a ketchup bottle can see gun control has no future at the national level.

But the swamp creatures, working for those billionaire-funded national gun control groups, need “work.” And many of them have settled on Illinois as their new home away from home. They need wins. Without wins, their paychecks dry up.

So, who has come to Illinois to set up shop? Here’s a partial listing. Not all are formally registered, but all are present to some degree.

The national organizations:

Everytown  Backed by Bloomberg’s billions these big dogs have pushed the Brady Campaign off center stage. In fact, Everytown regularly steps on the toes of the other national groups. However, when you’re reportedly getting $50 million per year in funding, you don’t have to play nicely with the other kids in the gun control sandbox.

Moms Demand Action  Also bought and paid for by Mayor Mike, these hoplophobic harridans are lead by the ever-popular Shannon Watts who’s recently been described as a self-promoting tyrant. She showed up at the NRA convention just long enough to deliver a couple of obligatory lines to an underwhelming crowd before her two bodyguards accompanied her back to the safety of her black SUV. Will she show up in Springfield? We’ll see.

Brady Campaign Gasping for air as they try to keep their heads above water, the Brady Campaign has a tiny office in Chicago. I suspect it’s there primarily for fundraising. They lobby in Springfield, especially now. Or they try. Some of those newfangled ketchup bottles can be tough to open.

Americans for Responsible Solutions Gabby Giffords heads this group, along with her rocket surgeon husband. A true back-bench national group working on a limited budget, ARS has dreams of becoming the nation’s premiere gun control group. Their DC-based lobbyist has registered in Illinois.

You might recall them hiring a then-ethically non-compliant lobbyist last year. They actually hired two lobbying firms last year to try to bully the other gun control groups. ARS failed miserably on every front and no longer employ either entity. It’s unknown if they ran out of money or weren’t unhappy with the quality of service provided.

Violence Policy Center  This national group specializes in creating sensational soundbites for a complicit sympathetic mainstream media. The VPC usually confines itself to publishing junk science “studies” (which keeps the overhead down).  However, the VPC has made an appearance in Springfield. An also-ran group, barely keeping its head above water, it’s not clear they can afford more than a couple of Happy Meals for their employees in the field.

Coalition to Stop Gun Violence  Best known for their over-the-top inflammatory posts on social media — like the one trashing Chris Kyle — the CSGV advocates total repeal of the Second Amendment. Given that support for gun control has reached historic lows in America, they staked out a spot on the radical fringe of the civilian disarmament industrial complex.

Law Center to Prevent Handgun Violence “Who?” you ask. It’s hard to develop a national reputation when you accomplish nothing of note. That’s LCPVH. They frequently partner with Gabby Giffords’ group, which explains a lot. The two orgs are meant for one another.

The homegrown groups:

Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence  The ICHV has been around a long time. Thom Mannard, their long-time leader, bailed out a few years ago when he read the writing on the wall. Facing a cash crunch, ICHV closed their Springfield office, fired their lobbyist and cut staff.

Today, their corporate office staff does the lobbying led by Colleen Daley (no relation to the infamous Chicago family). But they aren’t a gun control group…or so they claim as they introduce themselves. Bill Clinton didn’t have relations with that woman, either. And if you like your healthcare plan, you can keep your healthcare plan.

People for a Safer Society Lee Goodman continues to lead his merry band of malcontents right over the cliff. Again. Goodman’s last group, “Stop Concealed Carry” failed by any measure in their effort to stop the right to carry in Illinois. Now he’s tilting windmills again. His idea of a safer society involves you becoming a sheep while the wolves feast. Notice that Mr. Goodman chooses not to live in those neighborhoods he supposedly cares so much about improving.

Gun Violence Prevention PAC  This is William McInerney’s quasi-personal gun control outfit. He and his wife are their largest contributors and he is “chairman of the board.” They have their own lobbyist, Kathleen Sances. In addition, earlier this year, they had four lobbying companies working in Springfield on their behalf. They’re down to three now. For whatever reason, Ms. Sances has elected not to register as a lobbyist this year.

Ceasefire Illinois  The anti-violence organization formerly headed by a man arrested for beating his wife “like an animal” is partially funded by the State of Illinois. Tio Hardimann’s wife refused to cooperate with his prosecution (he had a previous conviction for beating another woman in 1999). Ceasefire hires “former” gang members to mediate disputes between gangs before they kill one another. Clearly, their efforts in Chicago have been a huge success.

Are there more working to curtail Illinoisans’ right to keep and bear arms? Probably. It’s like we’re watching gun control’s last stand here in America’s heartland. Will we beat them? That depends a lot on Illinois gun owners.