April 28, 2022
Warm weather is gradually on the way. I see more people at shooting ranges seeking a cure for cabin fever. May is just around the corner and that means shooting activities at outdoor ranges will be in full swing. For all those who belong to outdoor ranges, it is time to do spring cleaning and perhaps a little fix up. If you belong to an outdoor range, check to see when a workday is scheduled and participate.
Don’t forget classes are coming up. Spring is a good time to take classes. Summer is also great, but it can get petty warm out on the range. Here are some classes coming up in May at the ISRA Range, presented by the ISRA Academy you might be interested in taking.
If you are interested in going beyond the beginner level and can spend two challenging days, I suggest Midwest Training Group (MTG) two-day Defensive Rifle Course. This class also teaches transitioning from rifle to sidearm. It requires 600 rounds of rifle ammunition and 100 rounds of pistol ammunition. This class goes from close quarters to 100 yards. The class will be held on May 28 and 29 (Saturday and Sunday). You will need to contact Andy Kemp at 208.771.3413.
June 22, 23, 24 and 25, Massad Ayoob will present his famous Mag40 class. This is a must for any gun owner because it deals with not only combat marksmanship, but also the laws which pertain to self-defense. I have already had both classes. If you are a Concealed Carry Licensee or instructor, this is a wonderful class for you. MTG also handles registration for this class. You will need to call Andy Kemp to register. His number is 208.771.3413.
The ISRA Academy will be presenting a 2-day NRA Basic Rifle Class on Saturday May 21 and Sunday May 22. Instruction on basic knowledge, skills, and attitude are necessary for the safe and proper use of a rifle in target shooting. Minimum of 25 rounds of ammunition. Limit 10 students. Open to public. Cost: Members – $75.00; Non-members – $150.00. Non-members attending will receive an ISRA membership with cost of class. Must be pre-registered 1 week prior to class for the NRA deadline. No walk-ins allowed. Instructors: Jeff Marienthal and Anthony Clark. To register for this class contact: Laura at 815.635.3198 or email laura@isra.org
Elon Musk has purchased Twitter for $44 billion. With his purchase comes the promise of a balanced social media platform and the end of left-wing bias. Before, Twitter algorithms made 69% of the Twitter content left or far left wing. The media, including social media, have been tools controlled by the left or far left. Censorship applied to conservative groups, including firearm owners, but not to left wing wackos. Last week, when the Twitter Board of Directors announced they were going to defeat Elon Musk’s purchase of the company by use of a “poison pill”, I laughed up my sleeve. Elon Musk could defeat these mini dictators with both sides of his brain tied between his back I thought. He did. You can get a feel of how important Musk’s purchase is of Twitter by watching the reactions of left-wing politicians and media types. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was apoplectic, but the greatest joy was watching CNN’s talking heads, particularly Brian Steller having a cow during their group think impromptu panel.
The lefties love censorship their way because it prevents those nasty questions asked in front of everyone for all to see that exposes their political positions as illogical and indefensible. The purchase of Twitter does not mean those days are over, but it certainly promises to put a dent in left-wing censorship. Gun owners never get a level playing field. I have done many interviews on both radio and television. I always asked who else was going to be there. I would get some vague answer which meant there would be three anti-gun people and me. Others who represent the pro-gun side have told me the same thing has happened to them. This new arrangement of Twitter should be interesting.
As if we didn’t have enough headaches, Piers Morgan, the British gun hating commentator, has wormed his way back into the United States via Fox News. Morgan is still anti-gun but says he wishes he had handled things differently. I wish Immigration and Naturalization would have handled things differently also and not let him back in. As for Fox News, Newsmax is looking mighty interesting.
The bill that allows straight walled rifle cartridges for deer hunting has passed the General Assembly and is now on the Governor’s desk. From what I can tell, any rifle with a detachable magazine that shoots a qualifying cartridge can be used if the magazine is not near the rifle. I would assume that means left in your vehicle, or better yet, at home. I would also assume a single shot magazine block could be used, making it a single shot rifle, but we will have to wait and see. There are a variety of straight walled cartridges that could be used that would be perfectly adequate for deer and do not punish the hunter like shotgun slugs tend to do. I would think the Winchester.350 Legend would be near the top of the list. This should be of help to women who love to hunt deer, as well as young people. Hopefully the Governor will sign the bill.
Thank you to all who participated in the IGOLD 2022 raffle! The winning ticket numbers are as follows:
#07183 – Rock River AR15
#15936 – Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm with Range Kit
#13480 – Glock 43
#06913 – Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 Semi-auto Rifle
#09194 – Glock 42
#09857 – Midway 48″ Scoped Rifle Bag
#03911 – Midway 48″ Scoped Rifle Bag
#03944 – Midway Tactical Backpack
#02803 – Midway Tactical Backpack
#09301 – Midway Tactical Backpack
Tidbits:
April 29, 2004 – The WWII Memorial opens in Washington D.C. The United States government donated $16 million toward the memorial and private donations made up the other $164 million. Former Senator and WWII Veteran Robert Dole and actor Tom Hanks were prime movers in raising private donations. I have visited the WWII Memorial three times and by chance, I have met people twice that I knew quite by chance. I have to say, it always tugs at my heart strings. As I have mentioned before, many of my teachers in both high school and college were WWII veterans. My father was wounded in the South Pacific.
One of my teachers was a Marine on Guadalcanal. Like all good high school students, we were always trying to get our teachers to talk about anything but the subject matter. We were very good at that if I have to say so myself. Mr. Ferris was the instructor. We asked him to talk about what it was like on Guadalcanal. What he told us has always stuck with me. He and his friend were in a foxhole during one of those long nights when Japanese soldiers were slipping through our lines. One of them slipped into the foxhole, stabbed, and killed Mr. Ferris’s friend. The struggle between Mr. Ferris and the Japanese soldier began. Mr. Ferris said, “It seemed to have lasted for an hour, but it was probably only 20 minutes.” Mr. Ferris was not a big man. Neither soldier could best the other. There was only going to be one outcome, one of them was going to die. Mr. Ferris finally got the Japanese soldier on his belly, but he couldn’t let go because the soldier still had his knife in his hand. Finally, he resorted to his only option, which was to chew though the soldier’s jugular vein and hold him down until he bled to death. There were many other stories of what people I knew went through but that is one that I remember that exemplifies the struggles our soldiers faced. If you get a chance, go to the WWII Memorial, and take your family. There were 16 million men and women who served in WWII. It is important that they be remembered.
April 29, 1429 – Joan of Arc relieves the French City of Orleans which was under siege by English troops. When Joan was 16 years old, she claims to have been visited be Christian Saints and told to aid Charles the French dauphin (the term dauphin means the heir approved to the throne of France, in this case Charles). At the age of 17, she went to Charles who believed her dream. He furnished her with troops and she attacked the English at New Orleans and relieved the city. Joan of Arc led many expeditions against the English. She was eventually betrayed by Bourguignon soldiers and sold to the English. She was tried on charges of heresy, witchcraft, and dressing like a man. She was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. In 1920, she was canonized and raised to sainthood.
April 30, 1993 – The World Wide Web is created. Tim Barners-Lee releases a source code for the first web browser and editor. It became the internet that we know today.
May 1, 1931 – The Empire State Building is dedicated and becomes the world’s tallest building. What you may not know is the world’s tallest building was a contest between Walther Chrysler of Chrysler Corporation and John Jakob Raskob of General Motors. The Chrysler Building was started first, so the Empire State Building developers knew what they had to do to make their building taller. The Empire State Building was built during the Great Depression and provided a symbol of hope at the time. It also employed 3400 workers who made top wages for their time. The Empire State Building had a rough start economically because of the Depression and was only 25% full the first few years.
May 1, 1851 – The Great Exhibition opens in London. The purpose was to show off British technological achievements in medicine, machinery, household goods, and farm equipment. The British invited other countries from around the world. The Exhibition had over 6 million visitors. The Americans showed up with their technology which was in general, far superior to the British technology, much to the surprise of the British, particularly in farm machinery. Companies like John Deere, McCormick reapers, thrashing machines and cotton gins far outdistanced the British.
May 1, 1898 – Admiral Dewey sinks the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. The Spanish lost 10 ships and 400 sailors. The Americans lost no ships and had six sailors wounded. The credit goes to, not only, Admiral Dewey, but to the Secretary of the Navy who pushed for a modern fleet, Theodore. Roosevelt.
May 2, 2011 – Osama bin Laden is killed by U.S. Navy Seals in a 40-minute raid on his compound. Osama bin Laden is buried in an undisclosed location in the Arabian Sea.
May 4, 1905 – The official second attempt to build the Panama Canal begins. The Panama Canal was originally started by a French company, but they did not have heavy enough equipment, nor did they know how to control the mosquitos that spread yellow fever. Under the French company, over 20,000 workers were killed because of disease and accidents. Still, building the canal was no picnic. Theodore Roosevelt went to the building site and operated a steam shovel to promote the project. This was the first trip outside the United States made by a sitting President.
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Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar
For more information, visit www.isra.org
Saturday, April 30, 2022
ISRA Steel Challenge
Armed Women of America
Sunday, May 1, 2022
Bonfield Muzzle Loaders
ISRA 3Gun
Joe Brown High Power League/Joe Brown Match
Tuesday, May 3 & 10, 2022
Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
F-Class Rifle League
Bench Rest League
Paper & Steel League
Saturday, May 7, 2022
Range Work Day
Woolard Brothers Memorial
Sunday, May 8, 2022
Handgun Drills
Marksmanship League
Thursday, May 12, 2022
ISRA Smallbore Prone/F-Class League
Saturday, May 14, 2022
New Shooter Highpower Rifle Competition Clinic
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Joe Brown Highpower League/Edward J Neumann Match
Gun & Trade Shows
Villa Park VFW Gun Show – Villa Park, IL
Villa Park VFW
Date: May 14, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 10:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00
Kane County Sportsman’s Show – St Charles, IL
Kane County Fairgrounds
Date: May 15, 2022
Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30
Admission: $7.00
Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show – Kankakee, IL
Kankakee County Fairgrounds
Dates: May 21 & 22, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00
Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00
McHenry County Gun Show – Woodstock, IL
McHenry County Fairgrounds
Date: May 22, 2022
Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:00
Admission: $5.00
Crown Point Gun Show – Crown Point, IN
Lake County Fairgrounds
Dates: May 28 & 29, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00