.png)
FOIA is your friend. This is coming straight from the 2nd in command, the Lieutenant Governor’s office (when she’s not waiting in line to buy weed). First, let’s set the stage.
October 28, 2019:
Lt Governor‘s office reaches out to Sara Knizhnik, who is with the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence and also an organizer with the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition. Subject? R3 grants (more on that later).
Notice the last sentence? “Looking forward fo speaking with you and hearing about (what) the coaltion (ILGVPC) is doing“. Moving on.
October 30 to November 5, 2019:
Bunch of planning to chat via phone.
November 7, 2019;
Email sent out from Emily Harwell of the Lt. Governor’s office discussing an opportunity to participate in the grant making process.
November 8, 2019:
Sara K forwards the message to members of the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coaltion:
Who are the “ILGVP Coaltion Members” that are part of this? Who is Sara encouraging to “have a say in how the new state level funding for violence prevention will be implemented”?
Partisan political parties
Bloomberg’s moms
Most troubling, a political action committee with the soul purpose of lobbying for gun control
Meet G-PAC
Now, you may be wondering. What’s going to fund these grants? Refer back to “R3“ mentioned in the first email and also what Sara K encourages the ILGVP Coalition to get involved in, and that brings us to January 13, 2020:
25% of the tax revenue raised from legal weed sales will fund these grants. Buy weed, help fund gun control groups (or programs they support). That simple. Is anyone surprised though that gun grabbers wouldn’t use vice money to further their cause? To really open your eyes though, take a look:
The marijuana industry in Illinois could eventually bring in $1.69 billion to $2.58 billionin annual revenue, according to a study by Colorado consulting firm Freedman and Koski. That would mean an additional $440 million to $676 million in annual tax revenue statewide, the study said.
25% of that available for these grants, and turns out the ILGVP Coalition is already sinking their teeth into it:
The Illinois Justice Project (that source) is a member of the coalition:
To close, a fun fact about Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and his ties to the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence:
Pritzker once served as chairman of the advisory board of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. As an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress in 1998 on the North Shore, he proposed a ban of the sale of handguns. Poshard was a gun rights advocate during his tenure in Congress, though as a candidate for governor he softened his staunch opposition to gun control by supporting a ban on some types of semi-automatic weapons.
I’m curious if any REAL gun safety groups were invited to participate in the ICJIA grant reviews?
Keep smokin, Lieutenant Governor Stratton.
Extra:
Be it known that the Illinois Department of Public Health is encouraging people to “spread the word” on a major gun control bill that hasn’t become law yet (ICHV included in this meeting, and Fix the FOID is their baby). It’s “established” as it‘s going to be up for a vote, so does that mean the IDPH is encouraging lobbying For gun control? Wonder if that changed after news broke of the fund sweeps (Probably not).
Comments