September 16, 2021
When American citizens are asked about Washington D.C., the term “swamp” comes to mind. The question is what is the swamp? How does it manifest itself to influence American life? A really good example has come out of the National Archives.
Let’s digress for a moment. There are three branches of government. The most respected is the Judiciary. People think of the Supreme Court of the United States. It is staffed by those who study and love the law. These people are serious. This is the only place in the swamp that one can find dry stable land. It is an island. The reason it is an island is that it is the most nonpolitical of the three branches of government. If the court packing liberals get their way, it too will sink into the swamp but, for now, it is okay.
When we get to the Legislative and Administrative branches of government, the murky waters of the swamp overtake us. The Legislative branch is the least trusted of all the branches of government. That is because it has the most prominent swamp creatures that we see and hear often. The Administrative branch is the most dangerous part of the swamp. The reason for that is it has hundreds of thousands of people who are employed as mid-level bureaucrats who like to fool around with American’s lives. Many of these people are left wing idealists who dislike the United States. Still, working for the U.S. Government, they can collect a check and be safely nestled away while quietly influencing government policies which harm and push the Country to the left.
One such example occurred in the National Archives in June. An agenda driven Obama appointee, David S. Ferriero, established a task force of the National Archive and Records Administration (NARA) to identify issues of racial inequality. So, what came out of all this taxpayer funded nonsense? The NARA found that the founding documents contain harmful language and sent out a harmful language alert. What documents were included? Things like the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and others. This is a prime example of the swamp creatures chipping away at the fabric that holds the United States together and embarrassing us in the eyes of the world. This is one of the ways the left operates and we pay for it. We are stupid for letting this kind of activity go on.
The number of approved FOID cards and ICCLs has gone up substantially. In August of 2020, the number of new and renewal FOID card applications was 19,995; in August of 2021, that number went to 104,339. The same trend is showing in the approved ICCLs. In August 2020, the number of approved ICCLs was 4393; in August of 2021, the number of approved ICCLs was 10,806. At this point, the Illinois State Police have done a great job of eating into the backlog. I am looking forward to getting the backlog problems behind us. Right now, the number of FOID cards is 2,535,715 and the number of ICCLs is 438,135.
A Federal Circuit Court Judge has ruled the ban on an ICCL holder carrying their concealed carry firearm on a Cook County Forest Preserve Trail is unconstitutional. When the Concealed Carry Act was passed, carrying a firearm on the Cook County Forest Preserve trails was negotiated out of the bill. All other forest preserves are in the bill. United States District Judge Robert M. Dow of the United States District Court for Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division issued the opinion on 9/13/2021. Before you run off to a walking trail in the Cook County Forest Preserve with your concealed carry gun, you should know there is a stay on the order for six months. This is to give time for the Cook County Forest Preserve to decide what they are going to do. If they appeal this case, it could be a long time because it has to work its way through the courts. If not, it would take effect March 15, 2022. There are reasons not to appeal this case. If the anti-gun side goes up the court chain and Judge Dow’s ruling is upheld, it would set a precedent and such laws throughout the United States would be struck down. If they leave the case right where it is, it is just a local ruling that would only affect the Cook County Forest Preserve. Judge Dow’s rulings are seldom overturned.
Ammo Quest: There is nothing new to report this week as far as ammo supplies go. Let me know if you find anything interesting that you would like to share.
Reminder: October 30 & 31, 2021, Defensive Training International (DTI) Defensive Handgun Course – John Farnam, Instructor, will be at our Range. To register for this 2-day course, please use this link to register.
Tidbits:
September 18, 1846 – The Donner Party realizes they are running out of food and send two men ahead to California to bring back food. The Donner Party started out in Springfield, Illinois. George and Jacob were the leaders of the party. The Donner’s read a book by Langford Hastings titled, “The Emigrants Guide to Oregon and California”. In his book, Hastings claimed his route was shorter than the usual route. It was shorter but it was also nearly impassable. Hasting’s route led the Donners into the desert and down boulder strewn trails. The book also did not explain the early snowfalls in the Wasatch and Sierra mountains. The false statements in the book lead the Donner Party to disaster. The rest of the story will come on October 28.
September 18, 1793 – George Washington lays the cornerstone of the Capitol Building. Building the Capitol continued until the 20th century. Today, the Capitol has 540 rooms and covers four acres.
September 19, 1827 – Jim Bowie gets involved in a duel with a Louisiana banker and disembowels him, using his famous “Bowie Knife”. While Jim Bowie takes credit for the knife, most believe it was designed and made by Jim Bowie’s brother, Rezin Bowie.
September 19, 1881 – President James Garfield dies from wounds suffered 80 days earlier. One of his doctors was Alexander Graham Bell. Dr. Bell used an early version of a metal detector to try and locate one of the bullets that struck the President. It was unsuccessful. The medical treatments used on the President were as bad as the wounds and probably helped cause his death. It was a good thing that Alexander Graham Bell became an inventor.
September 20, 1806 – Lewis and Clark return from their nearly two-and one-half year expedition exploring the Northwest United States. One of the things they were looking for was water passage to tie the country together. They reported that none existed. On the last few days of the expedition, they kept alive by eating wild plums. The frontier settlement of La Charette was their first contact with settlers. It would be two more days before they would reach St. Louis.
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Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar
For more information, visit www.isra.org
Saturday, September 18, 2021
2021 IL Short Course Championship
IDNR Wingshooting Clinic – Wilmington, IL
Sunday, September 19, 2021
2021 IL Short Course Championship
ISRA Bullseye League
Marksmanship League
IDNR Wingshooting Clinic – Wilmington, IL
Tuesday, September 21 & 28, 2021
Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League
Wednesday, September 22 & 29, 2021
ISRA Benchrest League
F-Class Rifle League
Combat Paper & Steel League
Saturday, September 25, 2021
The Well Armed Woman
Defensive Training – Pistol & Rifle
Sunday, September 26, 2021
3-Hour CCW Recertification
Glock Fall League
2 Gun Drills
Gun & Trade Shows
McHenry County Gun Show – Woodstock, IL
McHenry County Fairgrounds
Date: September 19, 2021
Hours: Sunday: 8:00-1:00
Admission: $5.00
National Civil War Show & Sale – Wheaton, IL
Collector Arms Dealers Association Gun Show – Wheaton, IL
DuPage County Fairgrounds
Date: September 25, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00
Admission: $9.00
Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club Gun & Knife Show – Chillicothe, IL
Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club
Dates: September 25 & 26, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 8:30-5:00
Sunday: 8:30-3:00
Admission: $3.00
Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show – Kankakee, IL
Kankakee County Fairgrounds
Dates: September 25 & 26, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00
Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00