May 12, 2023
| Executive Director’s Message
Richard Pearson |
| The Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly is known for their sneak attacks Of law-abiding gun owners. Tuesday, May 9, was no exception. Late in the day, HB0676 was scheduled for a hearing. The language of the bill was stripped out, and an amendment was substituted. This new language became the bill. Here are the salient points of the bill: Presently hunting requires a 300-yard setback from occupied dwellings. The new language changes that language to 1000 yards. This means that in some cases, a landowner cannot hunt on his or her own property. There is a lot of hunting land that will be lost. This bill creates a task force to study to review current and future insurance policy offerings, which would be required of all firearm owners. No such policies exist now. This is a blatant attempt to make firearm ownership impossible. Some other states are trying this same approach. This bill requires a person who purchases, possesses Tannerite or other prepackaged This changes the Domestic Violence Order of Protection in the following ways. First, the court can transfer these firearms to the police. If the person should lose their FOID Card, there is no way to get these firearms back. Expensive gun collections, heirlooms, and other items would be lost forever. The other change is that this could all be done without the defendant being present at the hearing. This is a travesty. On Wednesday, another bill came out of the Illinois House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on. HB218 is an attack on manufacturers. HB 218 attempts to redefine the entire basis of the Consumer Fraud Act by proclaiming that owning, selling, manufacturing, promoting, or marketing LEGAL firearms is a violation of the Consumer Fraud Act if a bad guy gets and uses it for bad things. It is designed to allow the Attorney General to go after manufacturers, dealers, and private citizens when a criminal misuses a firearm. This is another blatant attempt to attack firearm owners and the entire firearm industry and law-abiding gun owners with the goal of stripping away everyone’s Second Amendment Rights. If you watch the General Assembly and the Administration, this is the same cast of nefarious characters doing all of this. We must all stay together and fight these people.
The Illinois State Police (ISP)have said that firearms purchased during the six-day preliminary injunction issued by Judge Stephen McGlynn will become illegal on January 1, 2024. Attorney Ed Maag is of the option that this may be a violation of people’s Fifth Amendment Rights. I don’t agree with the ISP, but it is going to take another lawsuit to find out, is my guess. States like Illinois, New York, New Jersey, California, and the rest of the usual suspects believe they are God Almighty and have no problem stepping on people’s rights. The Seventh Circuit has put a stay on Judge McGlynn’s preliminary injunction. The ISRA and the other plaintiffs must file a response brief by today in the Seventh Circuit. The ISRA filed a response yesterday, Wednesday. I have no idea how long it will take the Seventh Circuit to issue an opinion, but I would think it would be fairly soon. I thought the Bevis V Naperville lawsuit would be combined with the lawsuits ruled on by Judge McGlynn in the U. S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois. It was not, at least at this time. I could still be combined in the future. Bevis asked the Seventh Circuit for a stay on the Naperville ordinance. It was not granted. Bevis has appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States. There has been no ruling yet. We just have to wait and see. New York Governor Kathy Hochul doesn’t believe there is a right to self-defense. She just wants you to be the hapless victim. So, Governor, I think you should lead by example and get rid of all your bodyguards who are paid for at taxpayer expense. I can’t wait to see how that works out for you. Last Friday, a homeowner in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, confronted two men who had broken into his home. The two criminals tasered the family dog and were holding the homeowner’s son at gunpoint. The homeowner killed one of the criminals and wounded the other home invader. The one that got away was picked up at a Salvation Army location several blocks away. There are several lessons here. The first one is- always be ready. The family dog undoubtedly did its job, but the homeowner also did. Would you be ready if such a thing happened to you? This kind of event is only going to get more frequent. Go and get more training. The anti-gun fanatics don’t care what happens to you or your family. I once was awakened to find someone in my house. I chased them out the door but didn’t catch them. That feeling that comes over you when your home has been invaded is something I will always remember. I was not well prepared at the time, but I learned quickly. I was glad I was able to learn. I could have been dead. I immediately took the lesson I had been taught and prepared. You should learn from the homeowner in Tennessee… There isn’t going to be anyone who will come and save you. It is just you and them. Remember that. _____________________________________________________________________
Tidbits May 11, 1934 Recently, there was a dust storm in Illinois just outside St. Louis. Dust storms are nothing new. The poor farming practices of over-cultivating and overgrazing led to vast tracts of wheat fields where grass once grew. The invention of the tractor, the desire for more wheat production during WWI, and a similar arid climate all contributed to the problem. Dust storms went across the Midwest and eastern United States. Ships 300 miles off the eastern shore report being covered in dust. Warning as early as the 1890s predicted this might happen. Crop rotation, replanting of prairie grass, and better plowing methods have all helped; still, dust storms are possible. The vastness of the plains sometimes is hard to comprehend. I worked with a man who had gone west to work on a wheat farm in the 1920s. His instructions on his first day of work will clarify how big the West is. He was hired to plow for the farmer. The farmer told him to plow at about 10:30 in the morning. May 13, 1846 The United States declared war on Mexico. May 14, 1787 The Constitutional Convention begins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There were problems with the Articles of Confederation. If the country was to survive, everything had to be redone. The problem was that it required a quorum of the states. Only seven states showed up. It wasn’t until May 15th that Georgia arrived, giving the convention a quorum. May 15, 1941 The Gloster-Whittle jet plane flies for the first time. Frank Whittle designed the jet engine and is considered the father of the Jet engine. The plane could fly at 370 miles per hour, faster than the famous Spitfire. It would take a while for them to develop a practical jet fighter. The Germans had the Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter flying near the end of WWII, but it was too little too late. The first jet engine experiment was in 1910 when the inventor put a jet engine in a biplane. The plane crashed, and that was the end of jet experiments for 30 years. May 17, 1943 The B-17 Bomber, Memphis Belle, completed its 25 mission. In 1942 and 1943, it was statistically impossible for a bomber to survive 25 missions, but the Memphis Belle did it. At the ISRA Range, things are really picking up. The ISRA Small-bore and F-class Small-bore league will be starting on Thursday, May 18. For those new to shooting, small-bore means .22 rimfire, which, by the way, is still the cheapest way to go. The league starts at 2 pm and runs until dusk. New shooters are welcome. If you don’t have your own equipment, we will loan you some to try it out. Juniors always have equipment available. Coaching comes with the equipment. How could you go wrong? On Tuesdays, the High-Power Irregular Rifle League starts at 11:30 am. Several relays will be run, with the last relay starting at about 5:00 or 5:30 pm. New shooters welcome. The Marksmanship League will be held on May 14 from 8:30 am until noon. The league is designed especially for new pistol shooters, but anyone can join in. So why don’t you come to join us? June 10 from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm Basic AR-15 Maintenance & Care/ Live Fire – Clubhouse, Range 1 The class involves cleaning, maintenance, lubrication, and sighting-in of an AR-15. Bring cleaning materials and ammunition (223/556 factory loads). Open to the public. Cost: $75- ISRA members/ $85-nonmember. Contact and registration: mailto:shirley@isra.org **With all of these leagues, you must have your FOID Card with you.** Right now, the ISRA Range in Bonfield, near Kankakee, is offering $50 off the initiation fees. This is the perfect time to join our wonderful Five Star Range. Why don’t you come out and see the range? For a range tour, Call 815-939-1909 between 8 am and 5 pm and set up a time to come and see one of the most beautiful ranges anywhere.
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