The first week of the 2022 General Assembly has been canceled.  We will be starting on Tuesday, January 11^th in the House of Representatives.  The Senate is canceled next week.  Not surprising.  The January session will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of the month.  Those same days will carry over into the first week of February.  We will keep you informed.

HB2769, the Micro Stamping Fund Act, has been moved back to the Rules Committee for Amendment 3.  This means we will see this bill sometime in the future.  We will let you know.  Remember all the bills filed last year are still alive. 

What can gun owners expect in 2022?  I predict that we will see lots of hit pieces on gun owners and the Second Amendment.  USA Today has already kicked off the campaign with a hit piece about Virginia gun shows.  The Bloomberg anti-gun media campaign will also be in full swing.  Anti-gun crackpots will be crawling out from under their respective rocks.  The goal is to discredit you, me and the Second Amendment.  Be ready for it.

The City of Chicago has done a nice job keeping the murder rate down to under 800 people.  In 2021, 797 people were murdered in Chicago, the highest since 1996.  The question is, so what is the problem?  That question has been asked and answered thousands of times.  The people running the show in Chicago don’t like the answer. 

Here are a couple of clues for the clueless.  Chicago and Cook County have let hundreds of hardened criminals out of jail early.  At this point, sentences have been shortened by 18,000 days and it is only going to get worse.  Murderers and other violent criminals are not taken off the streets or serving time.  I don’t know how to count those days but my guess is it is a lot more than 18,000. 

Chicago is not the only place these polices don’t work.  California is another fine example of stupidity in action.  Decent citizens of California have reacted the same way others across the country have reacted, by taking care of themselves.  That is why firearm sales in California topped 689,000 in 2021.

Let’s face it, in some jurisdictions, if you call 911, no one answers and if they do, no one comes to help you because they are understaffed, underfunded or just plain sick of it all and quit.  You are on your own.  People are not only stocking up on firearms and ammunition but medical supplies also, which includes items like tourniquets, gauze pads, adhesive tape and antibacterial products.  I am not advocating you become your own EMT but if no one comes to help, you have to last long enough to get medical help of some kind.  The key to the medical end of this problem is training.  If you have a tourniquet, you need to know how to use it.  Start with a first aid course and go from there.

Old man winter’s cold breath is letting us all know winter is here.  The recent pile ups on I-95 In Virginia and in Wisconsin is a reminder of how unprepared most people are when it comes to winter travel.  I can’t count the number of times I have been told, “We don’t need a heavy coat, it’s warm in the car.”  Yeah, well it is warm until it isn’t.  For those of you who have or about to have teenagers, my heart goes out to you.  To those who have survived raising teenagers, you know what I am talking about.

Here are some tips to help you avoid winter driving trouble:
Watch the weather forecast.
Never let your fuel tank go below half full.
Carry blankets, water and flashlights with you.
Have a couple of days’ worth of food and utensils with you and for each passenger.
Carry a number 10 can or a large metal coffee can, four regular candles and a couple of working cigarette lighters with you.  Four candles and a number 10 can keep you warm for a long time and you won’t have to use your fuel.
Have a second number 10 can, small bucket, five-gallon bucket, toilet paper and kitchen size garbage bags to help with sanitation.
Keep a first aid kit in your vehicle, as well as long jumper cables, phone charger, a pocket knife, duct tape and large heavy garbage bags to seal broken windows and keep the elements out of your vehicle.

Most of you already have some of these items.  The list can get to be endless.  Most of this can fit into a tote.  Be careful out there.

Attached is the News Release from ISP – 1/3/2022:  FOID OPT OUT

Tidbits:
January 6, 1838 - Samuel F. B. Morse demonstrates the telegraph for the first time.

January 6, 1919 - Theodore Roosevelt dies in his sleep at age 60.  Roosevelt believed everyone should live the strenuous life.  He followed his own advice.  His body had endured many hardships including tropical diseases which took the heaviest toll on him.  Anything Theodore Roosevelt did he put his all into it.  He loved hunting and despite his eyesight, he was an excellent marksman and very knowledgeable on firearms.  During the Spanish American War, he came under fire from Spanish 7mm Mauser Rifles.  American troops were equipment with Krag Rifles and some even had Springfield trap door single shot rifles.  He was very interested in the development of the 1903 Springfield Rifle.  When he saw the original design of the Springfield 1903, it had a rod bayonet.  He was not impressed.  In fact, he wrote a letter to the Secretary of War telling him, in the first sentence, that the rod bayonet was as poor an invention as he ever saw.  There was no question that you never had to guess where you stood with Teddy Roosevelt.  The bayonet was changed immediately.  Later, the rod bayonet was outlawed by the Geneva Convention.  Roosevelt authored several books during his lifetime.  One of my favorite quotes is about marksmanship, “No possible rapidity of fire can atone for habitual carelessness of aim with the first shot.”  Theodore Roosevelt, The Wilderness Hunter - 1893

January 8, 1815 - The Battle of New Orleans.  This is one of my favorite events in American history.  I know I wrote about it last year and the year before but I just can’t help myself.

By the time the Battle of New Orleans occurred, the War of 1812 was over.  Word had not reached the United States yet so no one knew the outcome on the North American Continent.  British General Sir Edward Pakenham commanded 7500 British regulars.  Still smarting from the Louisiana Purchase, which the British thought was rightfully theirs, the British were going to capture New Orleans and the Louisiana Purchase with it.  The pirate, Jean Lafitte warned the Americans of the impending attack. 

General Andrew Jackson was in charge of the American soldiers.  He did not have near enough people.  He sent out word asking for help.  Many American militia responded.  Marksmen from Tennessee and Kentucky responded.  These men were riflemen.  They did not like the British.  Moreover, they did not aim toward the British, they aimed at a button on their nice red coats.  The pirate Jean Lafitte added his followers to the fight.  Still, General Jackson had only 4500 troops, 3000 less than the well-trained British regulars.  It did not matter.  In 30 minutes, the British had 2037 killed, wounded, captured or missing including General Pakenham and second in command General Gibbs.  The Americans had 13 killed, 39 wounded and 19 missing or captured.  While this battle had no real effect on the War of 1812, it raised the national pride of the United States and sent a message to the Europeans that they were not welcome in North or South America.  The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 let the European powers know to stay out of the Western Hemisphere and that we would not tolerate their meddling in the Western Hemisphere.  With the Battle of New Orleans still fresh in their minds, they got the message.  In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt strengthened the Monroe Doctrine by issuing the Roosevelt Corollary which stated that the United States would intervene in Latin American country’s internal affairs where European powers sought to collect debts or whose governments were thought to be unstable.  European Powers would loan money to Latin American governments knowing they couldn’t pay it back, giving the Europeans an excuse to move in.  Roosevelt didn’t think much of their rotten tactics.

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Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar
For more information, visit www.isra.org

Tuesday, January 11 & 18, 2022
Tuesday Night Air Rifle League (5:00-8:00)
Tuesday Afternoon Air Gun League (1:00-5:00)

Saturday, January 15, 2022
Air Pistol League
Winter Wars XVIII

Sunday, January 16, 2022
ISRA Academy NRA Range Safety Officer Class

Saturday, January 22, 2022
ISRA Academy NRA Basic Pistol Class

Saturday, January 29, 2022
Armed Women of America

Gun & Trade Shows

Kane County Sportsman’s Show – St Charles, IL
Kane County Fairgrounds
Date: January 9, 2022
Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30
Admission: $7.00

Crown Point Gun Show – Crown Point, IN
Lake County Fairgrounds
Dates: January 22 & 23, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show – Kankakee, IL
Kankakee County Fairgrounds
Dates: January 22 & 23, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00
             Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00

Westville Gun Show – Westville, IL
Direside Event Space
Dates: January 29 & 30, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00
             Sunday: 8:00-3:00
Admission: Free