October 26, 2023
I have decided that Fall has finally arrived. I know we have the autumnal equinox and the Meteorological Fall, but I think Fall is determined by individuals in accordance with where they live. For me it’s determined when the sugar maple across from my office and the hard maple in my mother-in-law’s turns. Both are beautiful. They both started dropping leaves earlier this week.
Get ready to roll your clocks back an hour. On November 5, at 2:00 AM local time, Daylight Savings time officially ends. We will gain an extra hour of sleep when we “fall back” to standard time. Now you can make up for that one hour of sleep you lost last spring.
The winds of war are blowing harder and harder throughout the world. To think that What is going on in Ukraine, Israel or elsewhere is not related would be a fatal understatement of the situation.
The United States is being tested. If we fail the test, we are looking at WWlll. We have to be sure the Ukrainians win; Israel wins; and support Taiwan. And not in some limp wristed way, but decisively. We should also go on a war footing Immediately. The best way to deter war is to be ready for it and let the world know it. This readiness includes you, me, and everyone else.
Speaking of ammunition, the Vista Group has been sold to CSG Corporation, a Czechoslovakian company. For those who may not know, the Vista Group owned Federal Ammunition, Remington, CCI and Speer. CSG manufactures firearms and ammunition in Europe. This may not be a bad thing. It will take awhile to see any changes CSG may make in operations and supply. Let’s hope for the best.
Compliance Still Looking Bad for Illinois Gun Registry. After the first week of Illinois’ gun registry, things weren’t looking so good. Compliance rates were ridiculously low. That’s hardly surprising. Gun registration is one of those areas where few are interested in becoming an early adopter, especially since there’s a chance this will be thrown out by the courts at some point in time. Why register guns if you don’t have to?
Federal Judge Blocks California’s MSR Ban – Again. U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez has declared the state’s decades-old ban on so-called “assault weapons” to be unconstitutional. Federal Judge Roger T. Benitez’ ruling will almost certainly be appealed to the Ninth U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
It is the second time Judge Benitez blocked the law as unconstitutional. “California’s ‘assault weapon’ ban takes away from its residents the choice of using an AR-15 type rifle for self-defense,” Judge Benitez wrote in his decision. This decision bodes well for our “Assault Weapons Ban” case in Illinois. He noted that there are 24.4 million MSRs in circulation and just 447 people were reported killed by individuals that criminally-misused the firearm. That equates to “less than .00001832% were used in homicides,” and “that 24,399,553 (or 99.999985%) of AR-15s were used for lawful purposes.
Guess What Happened to Violent Crime Rates After Ohio Adopted Permitless Carry? Last June, Ohio became the 23rd state in the nation to adopt a “permitless carry” law, allowing legal gun owners to both keep and bear arms without having to first obtain a government permission slip.
Did Ohio become a more dangerous place because of permitless carry? Nope they did not. Overall violent crimes were down in Ohio and the U.S. in 2022, with Ohio seeing a 7.5% decrease from 2021 and the U.S. reporting a 1.63% decrease. Last year Ohio and the U.S. both also saw a drop in homicides after increases in 2021 and 2020. Ohio had 6.1 homicides per 100,000 people last year, compared to 7.5 and 7 in 2021 and 2020, respectively, according to data from the FBI. Nationally there were 6.5 homicide per 100,000 in 2020 and 6.8 in 2021 compared to 6.3 in 2022.
Not only did violent crime and homicide rates both decline last year, the drop in violent crime in Ohio far outpaced the national average. The doom-and-gloom predictions of the anti-gunners were flat-out wrong, and Ohio is now a safer state today.
Your Help Urgently Needed! Comment Period Open on Biden’s Illegal Background Check Rulemaking. The official comment period on ATF’s rulemaking, “Definition of ‘Engaged in the Business’ as a Dealer in Firearms,” began on Friday, September 8. Comments on the rule will be accepted for 90 days, until December 7, 2023. The more comments ATF receives exposing the flaws, false premises, and overreaching nature of the rule, the more ATF will have to answer for, if the agency persists in this ill-conceived effort. While it might be true that no amount of well-reasoned opposition will cause the Biden Administration to discontinue its persecution of gun-owning America. The easiest and most effective way to comment on the proposal is through the online portal at regulations.gov. Comments can also be mailed to Helen Koppe, Mail Stop 6N–518, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Enforcement Programs and Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 99 New York Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20226; ATTN: ATF 2022R–17. In either case, be sure to reference docket number ATF 2022R–17 to identify the rulemaking on which you are commenting.
FN Breaks Ground at Future Site of Second Production Facility
Framed by a backdrop of the Blue Ridge mountains, FN America, LLC broke ground on what will be the site of the company’s second production facility in South Carolina. This new facility will be located within the Pickens County Commerce Park in Liberty, South Carolina.
More than 40 years ago, FN opened operations in Columbia to fulfill a government contract for the U.S. Army. The company was originally established in the United States in 1979 and opened its doors in 1981 to produce the M240 medium machine gun, a variant of the FN MAG-58, under contract to the U.S. Army. For more than 40 years, the company’s primary production facility has been located in Richland County, South Carolina.
October 26, 1818 – Shoot-out at the OK corral
The Earp brothers take on the Clanton’s and McLaury gangs at the OK Corral. They were cowboys, but operated sideline businesses as cattle thieves, rustlers, and murderers. The struggle between the Earp brothers who were marshals in Tombstone and Cochise County, Arizona, came to a head at the OK Corral. Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers were shot dead. Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp and Doc Holiday were all wounded. The Clanton’s headed for the hills.
October 27, 1904 – New York Subway opens
New York opens its first subway and soon became the largest subway in the United States. The subway is now known as the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). It now has 26 lines and 472 stations. The MTA hauls 4.5 million passengers per day.
October 28, 1965 – Gateway Arch opens in St. Louis Mo
The St. Louis Arch was erected to commemorate the Louisianna Purchase and the Louis and Clark Expedition. In 1965, the Arch cost 15 million dollars to build. Over 4 million visitors tour the Arch each year.
October 31, 1517 – The Reformation of the church begins.
Martin Luther nails ninety-five thesis to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany.
October 31 – Halloween is celebrated.
Our scariest holiday!
November 1, 1512 – Sistine Chapel opens
Opening the chapel revealed for the first time Michelangelo’s over 300 figures he had painted on the ceiling, which is one of the world’s greatest works of art ever created. Michelangelo painted the ceiling laying on his back on scaffolding for over six and a half years. This is truly a masterpiece.
Click here to view the entire calendar. All classes and events are open to the public & all range members, unless otherwise noted.
OCTOBER 29 @ 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM – RANGE 8 – 1:00-5:00
OPEN TO PUBLIC.
This is Day 1 for renewals and Day 2 for new ICCL students. Prior to this scheduled time at the range, new students must complete classroom time beginning on:
Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7:45 am,
held at Guardian Concepts, LLC.
22 Heritage Drive Suite 106
Bourbonnais, Illinois 60914
To sign-up or for more info contact John Haberkamp at 815.295.6031
Email: info@guardian-concepts.com.
Click on: Basic CCL and Renewal classes
When applying or renewing your FOID or CCL online, a pop-up on the ISP website may appear informing you to register your firearms. You can disregard and continue to the application screen. (This has confused some people into thinking that they cannot complete their application.)
10-28 – AWA Monthly Meeting – Clubhouse
10-28 – Private Event – Clubhouse
10-29 – ISRA Bullseye Match – Range 1 & 2
10-29 – Intro to Red Dot Pistol – Range 9
10-29 – Glock Fall League – Range 11
10-29 – IL Basic CCL Qualification – Range 8
10-30 – Private Event – Range 11
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.
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 accurate –
sometimes changes occur. This is provided for informational purposes only.
October 28 – 29 Sauk Trail Gun Show, Bureau County Fairgrounds, Princeton
November 4 – 5 Decatur Gun & Knife Show, Decatur Conference Center, Decatur
November 4 – 5 ECA Hunting & Trade Shows, Belle-Clair Fairgrounds, Belleville
November 4 – 5 Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show, Kankakee County Fairgrounds, Kankakee
November 12 Kane County Sportsman’s Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles
November 19 McHenry County Gun Show, McHenry County Fairgrounds, Woodstock
November 25 – 26 Central IL Gun Collectors Association, Sangamon Co. Fairgrounds, New Berlin
November 25 – 26 Sauk Trail Gun Show, Bureau County Fairgrounds, Princeton
November 26 Lake County Gun & Sportsman Show, Antioch VFW, Antioch
December 2 – 3 Will County Gun Show, Will County Fairgrounds, Peotone
December 2 – 3 Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club Gun & Knife Show, Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club
December 9 – 10 Bloomington Gun & Knife Show, Interstate Center, Bloomington
December 9 – 10 Peoria Gun & Knife Show, Exposition Gardens, Peoria
December 10 Kane County Sportsman’s Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles
December 16 – 17 Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show, Kankakee County Fairgrounds
December 16 – 17 ECA Hunting & Trade Shows, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield
December 17 McHenry County Gun Show, McHenry County Fairgrounds, Woodstock