April 14, 2022
As most of you know, the unserialized firearm bill or “Ghost Gun bill” HB4383 Amendment #2 passed the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate and is headed for the Governor’s desk. I have written several times about how the process works in Springfield, but I am going over it again since HB4383 Amendment #2 is such a good example. HB4383 started out as a bill which required utilities to notify people by certified mail in an area where a high voltage electric line is proposed. The original language was stripped out of the bill and replaced by the ghost gun language. The title of the bill still retained the public utility language even though the bill had nothing to do with the title. I received several calls asking why we were taking a stand on a public utility bill. You have to look at the amendments to a bill to understand what the bill is about. HB4383 passed about 2:30am on Saturday morning. There were 993 witness slips opposing the bill and only a handful supporting it.
I assume the Governor will sign HB4383. Just so you know, I have submitted the language of this bill to our legal team. If we can do anything about HB4383 in the courts, we will.
I want to thank the ISRA lobbyists Ed Sullivan and Bill Potts for their hard work on this bill as well as all the Illinois gun groups who fought this bill. While the bill passed, we have developed a coalition to continue to fight the assaults on our Second Amendment Rights in the future.
In my opinion, HB4383 is not about unserialized firearms nor is it about keeping them out of the hands of criminals. I know the anti-gun crowd and many of their fellow travelers in the media think this is their purpose, but this and other anti-gun bills are aimed at you and me. Does anyone actually think a criminal is going to take an unserialized gun to have it serialized and registered to their name? Criminals file off serial numbers from guns, they don’t put them on.
If those who sponsored or voted for this bill really wanted to do something, they would pass laws insisting criminals be put in jail and not let out. Putting criminals in prison gets them off the streets and prevents them from committing more crimes. We seem to be worried about the feelings of criminals and not what happens to the victims. A couple months ago, a 72-year-old veteran was beaten to death during a carjacking. What about his feelings? Or the little child that gets shot playing, or the women who are beaten, raped, and left for dead. What about their feelings and the feelings of their family, friends, and relatives? No, they don’t want to get tough on crime and on criminals, so let’s make law-abiding gun owners pay the price?
President Biden has tried to rewrite firearm laws by Executive Order regarding unserialized firearms which is patently unconstitutional. Gun Owners of America (GOA) is already working on a lawsuit on that babble uttered by the President. Joe Biden talks about the Constitution saying that it did not give permission to own a cannon. He goes on to say certain people were not allowed to own a gun. None of that is true. What the Constitution does do is put limits on the Federal Government because the Founding Fathers suspected someone like Joe Biden would somehow get elected someday. CCKRBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb said, “Every time Joe Biden repeats the canard, he reinforces the notion that he is a habitual, pathological liar.” Well said and to the point Alan!
I don’t know if you watched any part of the Atlantic/CNN panel held at the University of Chicago. I certainly did not watch it all but saw some highlights. University of Chicago students were allowed to ask questions of the panel at one point. The Atlantic is a lefty magazine and of course, the CNN panelists were slightly left of Karl Marx. When I watch CNN, I usually know less at the end of the program than at the start, but this time was different because of the pointed questions of some of the students. What new and interesting thing did I learn? I Iearned what CNNs favorite sport is: Dodge Ball.
American companies are helping the beleaguered Ukrainians again. ATN who makes night vision scopes will be supplying 9000 optics to the Ukrainians. I have no idea about the details but the troops the Russians have poured into the country along with thousands of mercenaries will probably not be going for leisurely walks in the evening. Personally, I am fine with it if they want to.
It’s time to go shooting but sometimes the weather just doesn’t want to cooperate. What do you do when the pitter patter of a cold April rain is hitting your windows? I would start by cleaning your firearms. I know some of you were going to clean them before putting them away for the winter but didn’t quite get around to it. If that is true, it is even more imperative that you do it now. Whether you did or not, you should clean them in the spring. Scopes, binoculars, red dots and spotting scopes should have their lens cleaned. Be sure to clean them with proper cleaners and cloths. Paper towels, tissues and other paper products not made for cleaning should not be used. As long as we are talking about optics, let’s make sure they are tight but don’t overdo it. Be sure you have a fresh bottle of Loctite or similar products to keep rails, mounts, and rings from working loose.
I would check your ammunition supply. Prices have crept down just a little. If you shoot an unusual caliber and actually find your ammunition now, I would buy it. Ammunition companies do not have a loading machine set up for every caliber. For less popular calibers, they might set up a machine to load it and make there estimated annual supply all at one time. They then switch the machine out to load some other caliber. That is why late in the season certain calibers are scarce.
Starting out, it is always good to re-zero your rifle on a shooting bench. Be sure you use sandbags or other supports designed for the job. A rolled-up blanket will also work but whatever you use, make sure that it is soft, so the rifle doesn’t rebound when you fire it. Another tip is to rest the rifle on the forearm or barrel shroud and not the barrel. Resting the barrel on anything will change the harmonics of the barrel and change the point of impact. Remember to take your time.
Handguns and their optics need the same care as rifles. Be sure to start close and take your time. Concentrate on the fundamentals. Shoot at blank targets at the beginning of every practice and stop looking at the bullseye. Learn to shoot groups on blank targets and then switch to bullseyes or steel or whatever.
I would also think about joining a range. If you live in the northeast part of Illinois, I would consider the Illinois State Rifle Association Range at Bonfield, west of Kankakee Illinois. The ISRA Range has 12 ranges including shotgun and archery. There are leagues you can participate in if you choose, with no hourly fees, and a variety of classes offered through the ISRA Academy. The range hours are 8am to sundown all year round. If you would like a tour of the range, please call 815-939-1909. One of our Range Safety Officers will be glad to show you around. Let’s go shooting!
On Tuesday April 12, 2022, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed SB319 into law which allows permit less carry in Georgia. Georgia is the 25th state to have permit less carry. Dean Weingarten points out the geographically permit less carry covers 2,343,089 square miles of the United States or 61.6% of the country. I believe Nebraska will be the next most likely state to pass permit less carry. Georgia now recognizes all permits issued by other states, including Illinois.
Tidbits:
April 15, 1865 – Abraham Lincoln dies of a single gunshot wound to the head. Southern sympathizer and actor, John Wilkes Booth, was the assassin. Booth has 12 days to live. Lincoln did not want to punish the South any more. He was a benevolent man. He wanted to heal the South, but the actions of Booth and others ripped the Country farther apart. The South suffered immeasurably for the next 10 years. Now, 158 years later, the scars are still showing.
April 16, 1947 – Texas City, Texas. The freighter Grandcamp is being loaded with fertilizer. It is ammonium nitrate, which is not only a fertilizer but an explosive. Smoking was forbidden but after WWII enforcement of regulations became lax, it is believed that a cigarette started a fire in one of the holds. The crew tried to smother the fire not knowing the ammonium nitrate does not need oxygen to burn. The ship next to the Grandcamp, the High Flyer, was also loaded with ammonium nitrate. When the Grandcamp exploded, it pushed the High Flyer completely across the harbor. That ship also caught fire and exploded the next day. The 3000-pound anchor of the Grandcamp was found two miles away. The explosion killed 581 people and injured 3500. The Texas City port had to be rebuilt and now only handles petroleum products.
April 17, 1815 – The Indonesian volcano, Tambora, erupts killing 80,000 people immediately and thousands more around the world. The volcanic ash and debris blocked the sun for the entire year in 1816. It snowed or frosted every month in 1816 in the Northern Hemisphere, included Illinois. Crops failed. Horses were the prime movers of nearly everything but the oat crop, their main source of food, failed. Food for animals and people became scarce and expensive. Many died of starvation around the world. This is not the first time this has happened. In the year 535, a series of volcanoes erupted under the sea near the equator. The result was sea water was turned into steam which went higher in the atmosphere. The next year, water vapor blocked out the sun. Tens of millions died around the world. Water vapor in the form of steam blocked the sun. The steam rose miles into the atmosphere. Geologists core sampling the Greenland ice cap found a layer of skeletal remains of marine life imbedded in ice which inhabited the sea around the equator. The year corresponded to 536. Ice records history like the growth of rings in a tree. Tens of millions of people died around the world from starvation. Even rats that will eat anything starved. Trees were cut to use as firewood to keep people warm.
Suppose that happened today. All the greenies want us to depend on wind and solar energy but there might not be much solar energy. Wind, who knows? The differential heating and cooling of land and water causes some of the wind. How would we survive? The fact is many won’t. We would need to have fossil fuels to survive as well as nuclear energy. Food would have to be grown indoors with artificial light and heat. From the time warning signs of a volcano is erupting up to the eruption, is about six weeks. If we do not have the fossil fuel or nuclear energy and infrastructure in place, we are dead. I’m just saying.
April 18, 2022 – Your income taxes are due. Remember: when Congress passed the income tax, they promised it would never be more than two percent of your income. How’s that working out for you?
April 18, 1775 – Paul Revere and Williams Dawes ride to warn the people in Concord, Massachusetts. The Red Coats were coming to seize the American arsenal that was stored there. Dawe lost his horse, but he met Samuel Prescott riding home from visiting his lady friend. Prescott finished Dawes mission.
April 19, 1775 – Early in the 19th century, 700 British regulars marched into Lexington. There, Captain John Parker was waiting with 77 Colonial Militia. The Militia was ordered to disperse and began to withdraw but someone fired a shot and the American Revolution began. At 7am, the British regulars arrived at Concord and found themselves surrounding by about 300 Militia. The colonials attacked and the British Commander ordered the Red Coats to retreat 16 miles to Boston. Along the way, American marksmen started picking off the Regulars. By the time they reached Boston, they had 300 killed, wounded, or missing. The Americans had fewer than 100 casualties.
April 21, 1836 – The Battle of San Jacinto. The Texas Militia routs Mexican forces under the command of General Santa Anna. The Texans captured Santa Anna and released him in exchange for Texas Independence. Now, that is what I call diplomacy!
April 22, 1970 – The first Earth Day was held. Nothing wrong with cleaning up the environment. The problem with this movement was it became an intolerant religion with some, and a tool of the left by others.
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Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar
For more information, visit www.isra.org
Saturday, April 16, 2022
Tactical Carbine Class
Hard Dogs Team Day at the Range
Air Pistol League
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Defensive Pistol 2
Tuesday, April 19 & 26, 2022
Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Paper & Steel League
Saturday, April 23, 2022
ISRA Academy NRA Basic Pistol Class
Project Appleseed
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Project Appleseed
MTW Consulting LLC NRA 1st Step Pistol Seminar
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Bench Rest League
Saturday, April 30, 2022
ISRA Steel Challenge
Armed Women of America
Gun & Trade Shows
Chicagoland’s National Civil War & Collector Arms Show – Wheaton, IL
DuPage County Fairgrounds
Date: April 23, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00
Admission: $10.00
McHenry County Gun Show – Woodstock, IL
McHenry County Fairgrounds
Date: April 23, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 7:30-1:00
Admission: $5.00
Will County Gun Show – Peotone, IL
Will County Fairgrounds
Dates: April 23 & 24, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00
Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00