By Illinois Review

During a recent Jason Aldean concert in Tinley Park, protestors burned American flags and chanted anti-American slogans in protest of Aldean’s number one hit song, ‘Try That In A Small Town.’ The scenes drew national attention and videos of the protestors burning flags and taunting the patriotic country music singer immediately began circulating on social media.
 

In response, the Illinois State Rifle Association countered the anti-American protestors by offering Aldean a complimentary lifetime membership to their organization. In a statement released to the media, the Illinois-based pro-gun group wrote,

“Since 1903, the Illinois State Rifle Association – one of the oldest and most respected gun organizations in the United States, has fought to protect the right to bear arms for all law-abiding citizens, not just in Illinois, but across the country. And as we celebrate our 120th anniversary this year, we remain dedicated to our mission of gun rights advocacy; teaching men, women and young adults through our ISRA Training Academy on proper firearm safety and training; and lobbying elected officials in Springfield and Washington, DC.

Jason Aldean’s song, Try That In A Small Town, which hit number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart has generated a lot of buzz, and even more controversy, but the lyrics represent what we’ve been fighting for as an organization for the last 120 years – and that’s the lawful right to protect yourself, your family and your community from danger. It’s not about promoting violence – it’s about preventing violence and allowing law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and others from those who wish to do harm.”
 

The organization then concluded their statement with,

“We applaud Jason on his success and standing up for our 2nd Amendment rights. As a token of our appreciation, we are honored to offer him a complimentary lifetime membership with the ISRA.”
 

In a piece written in the Washington Examiner, columnist Paul Bedard wrote that, “The Illinois State Rifle Association has been flexing its muscle in a state where gun rights are under attack…”

On January 10, 2023, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation banning assault weapons, making Illinois just the 9th state to enact one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the country.

On January 18, 2023, the ISRA filed a federal lawsuit opposing Gov. Pritzker’s unconstitutional assault weapons ban.