The ammunition shortage continues to be a topic that shooters are talking about.  For those of us who like to shoot in competitions, leagues, take classes, practice or just go out and plink, this is a problem.  In a recent interview with Jason Vanderbrink, president of Vista Outdoors, the company that makes Federal, CCI, Speer and now Remington, pointed out that ammunition companies are working every minute of every day to meet the demand.  These companies, and I am sure their competitors, are adding employees, machinery and space to produce enough to meet the new demand.  One of the challenges these companies face is educating and training new employees.  The making of ammunition is a precise business in the United States and those standards have to be maintained.

Judge delays hearing on Injunction ISRA is seeking to require the Illinois State Police to issue FOID card in the required 30-day limit

Citing the pandemic and the Holiday season, a federal judge has delayed the hearing for the ISRA Injunction filed last week against the Illinois State Police to compel them to issue FOID cards within the 30-day timetable as required by law.

Originally, the hearing was set for Tuesday, Dec. 22^nd, but now the hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2021. The Injunction was filed in the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION.

It seems like when it comes to anything related to FOID cards, the operative word is “delay”. Whether the hearing is this week or next month, it is our hope that we will get a positive outcome to what has become a frustrating situation for FOID card holders across the state.

The FOID card delays are simply not acceptable. According to the Illinois State Police, there currently are 145,000 pending FOID card applications and the average wait time is 121 days for a FOID card. In addition, there are 27,000 Concealed Carry applications pending.

We will keep you up to date as new information on our case arises. Have a safe and Merry Christmas from all of us at the Illinois State Rifle Association.

Chatsworth, IL – The Illinois State Rifle Association on behalf of its members have filed an Injunction to compel the Illinois State Police to issue FOID cards within the 30-day timetable as required by law.

The Injunction was filed in the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION. A hearing is set for Dec. 22^nd.

According to the Illinois State Police, there currently are 145,000 pending FOID card applications and the average wait time is 121 days for a FOID card. In addition, there are 27,000 Concealed Carry applications pending.

“The FOID card delays are not getting better – they are only getting worse,” said Richard Pearson, Executive Director of the Illinois State Rifle Association. “We worked with the State Police to extend the 30-day requirement to 60 days and of course they are going well beyond 60 days in getting FOID cards out to applicants. Enough is enough. Now it is time to get the courts involved and that is what we are doing. These delays are inexcusable and if the State Police won’t fix it voluntarily then the courts will have to intervene and force them to fix the problems and expedite the FOID card process.”

Preliminary ATF documents published by the Prince Law Blog may show a move to classify firearms outfitted with pistol braces as items controlled under the National Firearms Act (NFA). If the move is formalized, it could potentially affect hundreds of thousands or even millions of gun owners in the United States, forcing them to make a choice: remove their pistol braces and destroy them, register their guns as NFA items or change the barrel length to anything over 16 inches. The revised look at the way pistol stabilizing braces are categorized is not necessarily a surprise. For years the ATF has scrutinized the configurations of certain braces, announced that a brace cannot be legal shouldered and most recently issued a cease and desist letter to Q, LLC regarding the brace on the honey badger pistol.  READ more: https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/12/17/pistol-braces-nfa-registration/

We are all aware of the Red Chinese influence on the United States.  The Chinese have been in the diplomatic intrigue business for thousands of years, yet we seem to underestimate them.  They pat you on the back and pick your pocket at the same time.  

We have lost a true American hero.  On Monday, December 7, 2020, General Chuck Yeager passed away at the age of 97.  General Yeager was the first man to break the sound barrier in level flight.  Yeager flew the Bell X-1 rocket plane to a speed of Mach 1.06.   The Bell X-1 was nicknamed The Bullet because of its shape.  It was a good name for the plane because it was designed in the shape of a .50 caliber machine gun bullet.  They just added wings and a rocket engine.

The constant question everyone is asking is where all the ammunition is.  There are all kinds of conspiracy theories out there but I don’t buy any of them at this time.  The production of ammunition is more complicated than one might assume.