Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms drop their opposition to a gun control bill for a carve-out

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I emailed my representative and asked him to vote against this bill when it comes to the IL House. He's relatively new, having just taken over for his predecessor who resigned to take another job.
I believe him to be pro-2nd amendment based on some statements he made.
The state senator in my district voted against this travesty. She is solidly on our side.
This!
 
Well.

Personally, the goal of me writing to RRA and SA was to get them to distance themselves from the IFMA's position and get energized in defeating this bill. I'm sure now that the IFMA will oppose this bill in the Illinois House. Anything further is just going to be unproductive complaining. I don't want to waste energy on recriminations now, I'm going to focus on letting my voice be heard, asking my representative to vote no on this bill...
 
Well.

Anything further is just going to be unproductive complaining.

Right.

I hope more, lots more, Illinois residence are contacting their state government representatives. Dumping on Springfield and Rock River Arms won't do anything at this time in getting the bill defeated in the IL House.

Good luck, folks.
 
Well.

Personally, the goal of me writing to RRA and SA was to get them to distance themselves from the IFMA's position and get energized in defeating this bill. I'm sure now that the IFMA will oppose this bill in the Illinois House. Anything further is just going to be unproductive complaining. I don't want to waste energy on recriminations now, I'm going to focus on letting my voice be heard, asking my representative to vote no on this bill...
The problem with that is that 3 of the 4 managing officers of IMFA are 3 of the owners of SA and RRA. It isn't like SA and RRA joined into a big organization in Illinois to lobby along with other manufacturers. SA and RRA formed the IFMA and hired Keller as their lobbyist. How does a corporate officer distance themselves from their own company. More to the point is how does an officer in a partnership of 4 members not know what is going on? The short answer is they do know what was going on and I am certain that their lack of concrete action and PC addled statement is nothing more than back peddling now that they got caught.

"Did you wipe your email server?"
"You mean like with a cloth?"

...I'm not buying it.

Right.
Dumping on Springfield and Rock River Arms won't do anything at this time in getting the bill defeated in the IL House.
I agree that those in IL need to make a full court press on their legislators to stop this bill but SA and RRA need to be held accountable for allowing this bill to make it out of committee in the first place.
 
Couldn't let you get that plug for Alabama in without also pointing out that Texas is very gun-friendly, very accomodating of gun manufacturers and being centrally located has convenient access by both road and air to pretty much the entire country for low cost shipping for raw materials and finished goods.
I'd love to see a lot of American gun manufacturers who are being chased out of blue states relocate to TX/OK/KS/etc... :thumbup:
 
I'm a SAI customer having bought an M1A a few years ago. I've always been a fan, however, this is a PR disaster for them and would give me pause before I bought anymore of their products.

They pay lobbyist to work on their behalf. It's inconceivable to me that those same lobbyists would make a decision like this without consulting with them first, particularly given the quid pro quo nature of the outcome.

These aren't the only firearm companies in Illinois. Isn't Armalite (I'm a customer of theirs also) still located in Genesco IL? I see nothing related to their position on this.
 
I think we're at the 'the proof is in the pudding' stage with SA and RRA at this point. Talk is cheap, but renouncing their carve-out, and going public in their opposition to the bill in the house, is what will convince me they're serious their mea culpa.

I hope they do.

Larry
 
Two threads going about this issue.
It's bad enough that the good people of Illinois get all the garbage caused by the Chicago/Springfield/Peoria voting block. There is no excuse for the actions of RRA or SA.
 
The problem with that is that 3 of the 4 managing officers of IMFA are 3 of the owners of SA and RRA. It isn't like SA and RRA joined into a big organization in Illinois to lobby along with other manufacturers. SA and RRA formed the IFMA and hired Keller as their lobbyist. How does a corporate officer distance themselves from their own company. More to the point is how does an officer in a partnership of 4 members not know what is going on? The short answer is they do know what was going on and I am certain that their lack of concrete action and PC addled statement is nothing more than back peddling now that they got caught.

"Did you wipe your email server?"
"You mean like with a cloth?"

...I'm not buying it.


I agree that those in IL need to make a full court press on their legislators to stop this bill but SA and RRA need to be held accountable for allowing this bill to make it out of committee in the first place.
The problem with that is that 3 of the 4 managing officers of IMFA are 3 of the owners of SA and RRA. It isn't like SA and RRA joined into a big organization in Illinois to lobby along with other manufacturers. SA and RRA formed the IFMA and hired Keller as their lobbyist. How does a corporate officer distance themselves from their own company. More to the point is how does an officer in a partnership of 4 members not know what is going on? The short answer is they do know what was going on and I am certain that their lack of concrete action and PC addled statement is nothing more than back peddling now that they got caught.

"Did you wipe your email server?"
"You mean like with a cloth?"

...I'm not buying it.


I agree that those in IL need to make a full court press on their legislators to stop this bill but SA and RRA need to be held accountable for allowing this bill to make it out of committee in the first place.



This.....so much this!
 
The problem with that is that 3 of the 4 managing officers of IMFA are 3 of the owners of SA and RRA. It isn't like SA and RRA joined into a big organization in Illinois to lobby along with other manufacturers. SA and RRA formed the IFMA and hired Keller as their lobbyist. How does a corporate officer distance themselves from their own company. More to the point is how does an officer in a partnership of 4 members not know what is going on? The short answer is they do know what was going on and I am certain that their lack of concrete action and PC addled statement is nothing more than back peddling now that they got caught.

"Did you wipe your email server?"
"You mean like with a cloth?"

...I'm not buying it.

Ya...

IFMA List of Officers, Directors, Trustees and Key Employees

Dennis Reese - Director (Also CEO of Springfield Armory)
Tom Reese - Director (Also Co-Chairman of the Board of Springfield Armory)
Chuck Larson - Director (Also Co-Founder of Rock River Arms and owner of Rock River Arms)
Jay Keller - Excecutive Director

So Rock River Arms' Chuck Larson and Springfield Armory's Dennis Reese and Tom Reese are severing their ties with the IFMA ?

They ARE the IFMA !!!



.
 
I really wanted to let it go, and I have already called my rep and she's pro-Second Amendment anyway, but it makes me so angry that they think I'm stupid that I'm going to believe that those guys had no idea what was going on with the IFMA? They are the IFMA !!!
 
I really wanted to let it go, and I have already called my rep and she's pro-Second Amendment anyway, but it makes me so angry that they think I'm stupid that I'm going to believe that those guys had no idea what was going on with the IFMA? They are the IFMA !!!
The both Tom and Dennis Reece, and Chuck Larson need to be gone from their respective companies. I will not purchase another SA product nor will I consider a RRA product until that happens. These three men are traitors to the rights we hold dear. They are traitors of the worst kind.

There is nothing that Tom or Dennis Reece or Chuck Larson can do to atone for this betrayal. This wasn't just a slip up, this was a calculated scheme to sell the rights of lawful citizens away in exchange for padding their own pockets. They need to be forced out of the firearms industry and community altogether.

We, as a community also need to put pressure on the distributers as well (Kinseys, Davidsons, Lipseys, etc...). Distribute SA or RRA products and we will not purchase anything from your supply chain. This indirectly puts pressure on the other manufacturers (Ruger, S&W, Kahr, etc...) to pressure the big distributers because it is hurting their bottom line as well.
 
It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. They've already paid the right people for the carve out and they could care less how the vote goes. Either way they're covered. The liberal legislature can vote its liberal conscience knowing that SA and RRA have to publicly protest loudly to their customer base to maintain credibility. Don't for one minute believe a word of it.
 
I'm most-assuredly more narrow-minded than most, but this is exactly the reason I don't support the likes of S&W.
Buying weapons from manufacturers in the heart of the Anti 2nd USA seems anathema to my rigid..ness
 
I don't live in Illinois, but what are the chances of this bill becoming law? As far as the alleged SA and RRA behavior, it seems to me that they're playing the game of tossing other entities to the wolves, hoping the wolves will eat them last.
 
RRA was founded by Mark and Chuck Larson, Mark passed away in 2013 at the age of 50.

The rest of this week is the anti-gunner's window of opportunity to get SB1657 "Gun Dealer Licensing" passed. On Friday, the sponsor withheld the bill from a vote on the house floor because a few gun-control legislators were not present and the bill would have been defeated.

This week the various anti-gun groups will be lobbying legislators in the Illinois capitol to try to muster enough votes to pass the bill. They only had to sway one Republican - Republican Senator Tom Rooney, the deciding vote in the Illinois Senate to get it passed. They'll be trying to repeat that feat this week.

I'm hoping that Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms will be active in opposing this bill this week.

If it is passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives, there is a good chance that the Republican Governor will veto it. Its just my opinion, but I think he'd veto it just because Democrats haven't worked with him at all on budget issues and this would be a reminder to them that they're not going to get any laws that they like as long as they don't play ball on budget issues. Some people say that Rauner would veto it because he is conservative and generally pro-Second Amendment, but I really don't know if that's true. He is a HUGE improvement over the former governor who was insanely anti-gun
 
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I'm most-assuredly more narrow-minded than most, but this is exactly the reason I don't support the likes of S&W.
Buying weapons from manufacturers in the heart of the Anti 2nd USA seems anathema to my rigid..ness
I agree wholeheartedly however you need to look at the context of which those things happened. S&W as a company is not anti, it was the British ownership that went along with Clinton and the AWB. S&W was sold not long after due to tanking value from the power of the boycott. The S&W of today has none of the same leadership of the AWB era S&W.
The same can be said for Ruger. Bill Ruger advocated for mag capacity restrictions and that got them on the bad side of 2A supporters. Bill is long since dead and the company's leadership is firmly in the 2A corner, helping promote and preserve our rights.
....do you see a pattern emerging here?

SA as a company (meaning the products and the good people employed) are not bad, it is the leadership that makes these decisions and it is the leadership that needs to go. As long as any of the Reece's have a stake in SA I will NEVER be a customer again. I suspect that if Dennis decides to hang in there, SA will slide down the value and popularity scale until it is a mere shell of what it once was. When he and the rest of the owners decide to sell the company, I would happily consider another SA product, provided the new leadership is fully pro 2A. It matters little to me if SA moves out of Illinois or builds a huge factory in Texas, Tennessee, or wherever. Dennis Reece and the rest of the senior management at SA are the ones which I have the axe to grind. They tells us to our face they support 2A but give donations to rabidly anti-2A politicians and support rights infringing legislation behind our backs.

RRA gets the same deal as SA. Chuck Larson needs to be gone before RRA gets another penny from me.

For those that believe that the lobbyist went rogue and acted without their knowledge, ultimately the captain is responsible for everything that happens aboard his ship. This puts Reece and Larson still in charge and lays the responsibility clearly on their shoulders.
 
Now 07/20/17.

Hope this issue is not forgotten. As well as any boycott of these 2 enterprises that folks desire to participate in.
 
Now 07/20/17.

Hope this issue is not forgotten. As well as any boycott of these 2 enterprises that folks desire to participate in.

Just picked up a 2nd mod 2 in 45. :)

Boycotting either company will have a net effect of 0 change. The companies both heard their customer base, and came out with ads against the legislation. They publicly apologized, and have tried to heal the damage created. What else would you like them to do?
 
The furor over Rock River Arms and Springfield Armory's actions caused a nation-wide reaction, and it ended up energizing some Illinois gun owners that neither the Illinois State Rifle Association nor the organization IllinoisCarry could reach. It is sad to say that some gun owner are ostriches when it comes to politics and threats to the Second Amendment, but the withdrawal of opposition to the bill by SA and RRA created quite a commotion and a lot of gun owners were energized and let their represntatives know they didn't like this bill - alot of gun owners who are normally apathetic about gun control bills picked up the phone after watching YouTube videos or reading about it on gun forums. The bill's sponsors figured out pretty quickly that the bill would be defeated if called for a vote. In order to avoid an embarrassing defeat, they haven't even brought the bill up to be voted on in the Illinois House of Representatives.
 
According to the attached article, the owner of Rock River Arms knew nothing about this. One of the questions mentioned at the end of it is whether Springfield knew about this or whether it's something the lobbyist for the IFMA did without consulting with them. I'll hold off judgement until all the facts are out.


https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2...ield-rock-river-illinois-sell-picking-pieces/
I will. The only thing I own of RRA is an A2 operator stock. If this proves true, that is the last thing I buy from them. If unfounded, they are good with me. As for SA, until further notice, are permanently off my list. Their actions on social media tend towards "evidencing a conscienceness of guilt" but I am waiting to see if their actions are indeed in back stabbing self interest or not.

Russellc
 
The furor over Rock River Arms and Springfield Armory's actions caused a nation-wide reaction, and it ended up energizing some Illinois gun owners that neither the Illinois State Rifle Association nor the organization IllinoisCarry could reach. It is sad to say that some gun owner are ostriches when it comes to politics and threats to the Second Amendment, but the withdrawal of opposition to the bill by SA and RRA created quite a commotion and a lot of gun owners were energized and let their represntatives know they didn't like this bill - alot of gun owners who are normally apathetic about gun control bills picked up the phone after watching YouTube videos or reading about it on gun forums. The bill's sponsors figured out pretty quickly that the bill would be defeated if called for a vote. In order to avoid an embarrassing defeat, they haven't even brought the bill up to be voted on in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Nice but if true of either these companies they are off my list, whether the bill is submitted or not. Such collusion, if true is unacceptable to me, and until the responsible parties at these companies resigns, ( IF ANY) my business is done with those two...again, if this proves out. If it does, the degree of my disappointment and disgust is very great. I hope, such reputable companies have the good sense to not have engaged in these activities.

Russellc
 
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RussellC wrote:
Nice but if true of either these companies they are off my list,...

Well, RRA was never "on my list" to begin with so if I started boycotting them they would neither know nor be impacted by it. My only involvement with SA was that my son wanted an M1A when I offered to buy him a semiautomatic rifle ($1,000 max) but when he found he couldn't talk me into paying the extra to buy him one outright, he decided it wasn't what he wanted after all.
 
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