6th annual ‘Rod of Iron Freedom' Festival in Pennsylvania Draws Thousands

This past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Kahr Arms hosted their 6th annual Rod of Iron Freedom Festival (ROI) at the Tommy Gun Warehouse in Greeley, PA. Kahr Arms is a firearms manufacturer which specializes in high-quality, deep-concealment pistols (such as the PM9). They also manufacture the famous semi-automatic versions of the Thompson submachine guns and Desert Eagle. Kahr Arms was founded by Justin Moon, son of the well-known Korean religious leader, Reverand Sun Myung Moon. Reverand Moon’s younger son, Pastor Sean Moon, leads the Rod of Iron Ministries, an evangelical Protestant Church which split from Reverand Moon’s Unification Church after the elder Moon’s death. Rod of Iron Ministries has been in the spotlight in recent years due to their practice of worshipping with AR-15’s. While many conservative Americans may find this practice fascinating, antigun liberals see Rod of Iron Ministries as a dangerous cult and regularly portray the church in a negative light. However, that portrayal has certainly had no effect on dimming the appeal of the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival.

Lauded as America’s largest open carry event, ROI Freedom Festival boasts conservative speakers, vendors, a 600-yard open shooting range, book signings, martial arts displays, 2A art exhibits, gun raffles, and a music festival. Previous years’ ROI festivals saw appearances by Benghazi hero John “Tig” Tiegen, Dana Loesch, Alan Gottlieb, Teddy Daniels, and the Proud Boys. The goal of the ROI is to promote the Second Amendment, Biblical values, freedom, and most of all, Trump. The theme of the event could best be described as “God, Guns, Guts and Trump.”

Located in the Pocono mountains, only minutes from the New York and New Jersey state lines, the ROI Festival draws attendees not only from the surrounding region, but also from across the country, and even around the world. The author met attendees who flew in for the festival from as far away as Brazil, Germany, France, Korea, and Japan. While the Rod of Iron Fest is an open carry event, festival organizers ensure that long guns carried by revelers are unloaded and zip-tied, while holstered handguns can be open carried loaded and unzipped. ROI 2024 had a star-studded list of speakers and saw record numbers of attendees. The festival kicked off on Friday with a special movie premier and Q&A with former National Security Advisor, Lt. General Michael Flynn. The event continued on Saturday with speeches by former ICE director Tom Homan and other well-known government and political experts.

However, the real action started on Sunday with a speech and book signing by Sebastian Gorka followed by lectures given by best-selling author and anti-communist activist Trevor Loudon, former Navy SEAL and DEVGRU Operator Craig “Sawman” Sawyer, Texas hero Stephen Willeford who neutralized a church mass shooter (ending the killing spree) was in the Gun Owners of America (GOA) booth, a Japanese Choir, a video message by Colonel Alan West, a bluegrass music concert, and a gun raffle featuring a Trump AR-15. The event capped off with a giant bon fire and prayer. Without a doubt, Rod of Iron 2024 brought “God, Guns, Guts and Trump” to center stage in North-Eastern PA. For more information on next year’s event, please visit: RodOfIronFreedomFestival.org.

About the author:

Yonatan Stern, is an IDF veteran and professional firearms instructor. Yonatan is the director of Cherev Gidon Israeli Tactical Training Academy in Honesdale, PA, the next town over from Greeley and Kahr Arms. Yonatan can be reached at: mefaked@cherevgidon.com

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