December 28, 2023
The Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) would like to clarify some issues pertaining to the Protect Illinois Communities Act, but we cannot give legal advice. Like many of our members, we are also very frustrated that the law is written so poorly that even the Illinois State Police has been unable to answer simple, straight forward questions.
Please note that the state legislature’s bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules recently met to clarify registration rules but adjourned with no appreciable change. They are scheduled to meet again on January 16th to discuss, among other things, registration procedures. Unfortunately, that is 16 days after the registration period has ended.
The ISRA has received hundreds of telephone calls and emails asking us to make a recommendation regarding the firearm registry requirement in the Protect Illinois Communities Act.
As the Protect Illinois Communities Act is written currently, you have four options:
1. Comply and register the firearms while our lawsuit makes its way through the court system.
2. Sell or transfer the firearms, for example thru an FFL, to someone out of state or to someone who can legally possess them in Illinois.
3. Move the firearms out of state on the assumption SCOTUS will strike down the law and you can then bring them home. Note that if SCOTUS does not strike down the law, you can never legally bring those firearms back into Illinois.
4. Keep the firearms and do not register. This option is also based on the assumption that SCOTUS will strike down the law. As a consequence of this option, firearm owners could face prosecution and imprisonment.
As an individual gun owner, you must choose the best option for you.
The ISRA and its Board of Directors will continue to fight this unjust and unconstitutional law with all the resources at its disposal. We are currently preparing an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and believe it will rule in our favor.
If you are currently a member, thank you and please forward this email to your friends and family. If you are not a member of the ISRA now is the time to join. We need the support of every firearm owner in Illinois. Join the ISRA
To say that 2023 was an eventful year for gun owners in Illinois would be an understatement. On January 10th, Governor Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) into law. The law affected hundreds of thousands of law-abiding gun owners in the state of Illinois. It has been nearly a year since the Governor signed the PICA Act and we still do not have the final rules in place.
On January 1, 2024, the PICA Act and the firearm registration will be in full effect. Somehow, we are led to believe that crime will stop. Only a fool would think that. The PICA Act was never aimed at criminals. In fact, few if any gun laws are actually aimed at criminals. They are aimed at the law-abiding citizens who have done nothing to punish them for their audacity in wanting to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
Since the inception of this law, the ISRA lobbyists have attended Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) meetings on the rules of this confusing and unconstitutional law. Nothing has been settled on these rules and I doubt that they will be. The ISRA, Firearm Policy Coalition (FPC), 2nd Amendment Foundation (SAF), and others have filed suit against this law. We have been battling our way through the court system as rapidly as possible. We have now cleared out all the roadblocks to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. We have until March to file our appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. Aside from our lawsuit, Harrel V Raoul, we have several other court cases under way.
I want to assure all our members that we are fighting for you and your 2nd Amendment Rights on every front. I appreciate our members and all the wonderful support that we have received in battling through this expensive quagmire of unconstitutional laws. I would like to tell you that 2024 will be different but it won’t be. The fight goes on every minute, every hour of every day and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
Deadline is Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. You AND your new member will be entered into the drawing, for every new member you sign up! Encourage your family members or friends to join the ISRA, and we’ll all benefit. By doing so, you help us fight the battles before all gun owners. To carry on this fight, we need more and more new people to become members of the ISRA.
Please print this downloadable form, fill it out and have it postmarked by Dec. 31, 2023. Or call the office at 815-635-3198, and we will mail the form to you. If you can recruit more than one member, please feel free to make copies of this form. Your help is needed and very much appreciated!
December 28, 1793 – Thomas Paine arrested in France. Thomas Paine’s 47-page pamphlet, known as “Common Sense,” took colonial America by storm in 1776, and made critical arguments for declaring independence from England.
Paine moved to Paris to become involved with the French Revolution and was heartily welcomed and granted honorary citizenship by leaders of the revolution, but before long the chaotic political climate turned against him, and he was arrested and jailed for treason and crimes against France.
Thomas Paine’s fortuned turned for the worse and he died penniless in 1809, in New York.
December 29. 1845 – Texas enters the Union as the 28th state. During the 1820s, Mexico welcomed foreign settlers to the sparsely populated Texas Territory. By 1823, settlers were needing protection, and the Texas Rangers were formed that year. 2023 is the 200th Anniversary of the Texas Rangers.
In March 1836, armed conflict with the Texas settlers and the Mexican government began. Texas defeated the Mexican government and declared its independence. Texas is the only republic to join the Union.
December 30, 1922 – The USSR is Established. In a post-revolutionary Russia, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also known as the Soviet Union is established, comprising a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine and the Transcaucasian Federation (later divided into the Georgian, Azerbaijan and Armenian republics).
December 31, 1879 – Edison demonstrates the light bulb. American inventor Thomas Edison lights up a street in Menlo Park, New Jersey. The first incandescent lamp had been produced 40 years earlier, but no inventor had been able to come up with a practical, working bulb.
Noted for dozens of inventions, his greatest contribution came from his work in electricity. He developed a complete electrical distribution system for light and power, enabling the world’s first power plant in New York City.
January 1, 1942 – UN created. 10 days prior, Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington, D.C., for the Arcadia Conference, a discussion with President Franklin D. Roosevelt about a unified Anglo-American war strategy and a future peace. Roosevelt and Churchill issued a declaration, signed by representatives of 26 countries. It was named the “United Nations.”
January 2, 1960 – JFK announces his run for president.
Senator John F. Kennedy announces his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States. U.S. Senate Caucus Room, Washington, D.C.
January 3, 1777 – Battle of Princeton. Deeply concerned by Washington’s victory over the British at Trenton, just 8 days prior on December 26, 1776, General Charles Cornwallis arrived with his troops in Trenton on the evening of January 2 prepared to overwhelm Washington’s 5,000 exhausted, if exuberant, Continentals and militia with his 8,000 Redcoats.
Cornwallis sent troops to guard the Delaware River, expecting Washington to reverse the route he took for the now famous “midnight crossing on the Delaware”. Instead, Washington left his campfires burning, muffled the wheels of his army’s wagons and snuck around the side of the British camp. As the Continentals headed north at dawn, they met the straggling British rear guard, which they outnumbered 5 to 1. Forty Patriots and 275 British soldiers died during ensuing Battle of Princeton.
January 3, 1959 – Alaska admitted to the Union. The territory of Alaska was admitted into the Union as the 49th and largest state. For centuries, Indigenous peoples had inhabited the region that would become Alaska.
The European discovery of Alaska came in 1741 by a Russian expedition led by Danish navigator Vitus Bering. In the early 19th century, Russian settlements had spread down the west coast of North America all the way south as far as northern California.
By the 1820’s Russian settlements and activity had declined, and British and Americans were granted trading rights. In the early 1860’s a nearly bankrupt Russia decided to offer Alaska for sale to the United States. Finally, on March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward signed a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million.
Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, and its tremendous landmass of one-fifth the size of the rest of the United States, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as “Seward’s folly,” “Seward’s icebox,” and President Andrew Johnson’s “polar bear garden.”
The discovery of gold in 1898 and its other natural resources contributed to changing those kinds of thoughts
Click here to view the entire calendar. All classes and events are open to the public & all range members, unless otherwise noted. here
12-30 – AWA Monthly Meeting – Clubhouse-9:00-10:00; Range 10-10:00-12:00
1-02 – Air Gun Practice – Range 12 (Indoor Range) 5:00-8:00
1-03 – Air Rifle Practice – Range 12; Clubhouse – 11:00-3:00
1-03 – F-Class Indoor League – Clubhouse/Range 12 – 10:00-2:00
Our first big event of the year is Winter Wars on the 13th of January, held at the ISRA Range. Registration is from 8 am – 9 am, the match begins at 9 am and runs until 5 pm.
This is a fun time to commemorate the winter battles and the rifles used in them. These would include, but not limited to 1903 and1903-A3 Springfield Rifles, 1917 Enfield, M1, M1 Carbine and M1As. Non-US Rifles would include Enfield SMLE Rifles, SVT-38/40, SA80, Mosin Nagant, SKS Rifles, AK Rifles, KAR98K, and other miscellaneous rifles. This is the perfect time to dig those rifles out of the closet and go have some fun with them. There will be hot coffee and chili for all. Come out and enjoy the fun.
The entry fee is $25 for two battles. Registration must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2023. Walk-ins are welcome. Entries after December 31st will be $30. Please bring 40 rounds of ammunition per battle with you.
For more information, email wnbilotta@comcast.net. Late registration is at 8-8:30 am, Safety briefing starts at 8:45 am, First shot is at 9:00 am. You must be present for the 8:45 am safety briefing to fire the match!
Please print this downloadable form, fill it out and have it postmarked by Dec. 31, 2023.
The ISRA Range is located at 1589 N 7000w Rd, Bonfield, IL 60913.
The ISRA Range offers great classes and leagues
for shooting enthusiasts!
Interested in joining a league?
Just show up 15 – 30 minutes early.
Range memberships are available.
A day at the ISRA Range is always a great day!
Thank you for being a member!
If you are not an ISRA member, join today
Donate: https://isra.org/support-us/
Visit: www.isra.org
Upcoming Meetings: https://isra.org/isra-activities-and-events/
Upcoming Range Events: https://isra.org/the-range/#range-calendar
While the gun show information shown in this email is believed to be correct – sometimes changes occur. This is provided for informational purposes only.
Jan 13 Davenport Gun & Knife Show, Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, Davenport
Jan 14 Kane County Sportsman’s Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles
Jan 20 – 21 Dubuque Gun & Knife Show, Grand River Conference Ctr., Dubuque
Jan 20 – 21 Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show, Kankakee Co. Fairgrounds
Jan 27 – 28 Sauk Trail Gun Show, Bureau County Fairgrounds, Princeton
Feb 10 – 11 The Quad Cities Gun Show, QCCA Expo Center, Rock Island
Feb 11 Kane County Sportsman’s Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles
Feb 17 – 18 Central Illinois Gun Collectors Assoc., Sangamon County Fairgrounds, New Berlin, www.cigca.net