The NRA Annual Meetings will be in Dallas, Texas, on May 27,28 and 29.  There is a fight shaping up for the Executive Vice President for the NRA.  That position is presently held by Wayne LaPierre.  The challenger is LTC Allen West.  How all this will shake out, I can’t say.  Whoever gets the job is in for a rotten thankless experience.  The requirements for the job are you must have a hide as thick as an elephant, are used to working under extreme pressure, be very smart, be able to command, and willing to argue with the mainstream press which is like explaining quantum physics to a bowling ball.  We will know more the week after the Annual Meeting which is when the NRA Board meets.

Congratulations to Rock River Arms for winning the Golds Bullseye Award for their RBG-IS long range rifle.  The rifle could be classified as a custom production rifle if there is such a thing.  I have never shot one of these rifles, but I did get to handle one at the SHOT Show last January.  I love the trigger and smoothness of the short action bolt. The rifle costs about $4500 and come in .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor.   This rifle produces half minute accuracy with factory loaded match ammunition. 

Reading some of the reports using factory ammunition, one 10 shot group was .3 minute of angle which is phenomenal.  Other tests verified these results using factory ammunition.  I can only imagine the groups a good hand-load could get by customizing the load for a particular rifle.  All the tests were done using 6.5 Creedmoor caliber.  When I was reading the accuracy reports, a vision of baseball announcer Harry Cary yelling “Holy Cow” popped into my head.  I have shot lots of Rock River firearms over the years and I have found them to all to be very accurate.  I think if Rock River made a slingshot, it would shoot 1 MOA.

Inflation has gone up 8.2% this year already and is bound to climb higher.  Inflation is eating into everyone’s budget.  I don’t think firearms, ammunition and accessories for hunting and target shooting are exempt.  If you are interested in purchasing anything in any of these categories, I would do it now.   The cost of fuel to deliver anything goes up daily.  Later this summer, there are predictions of rationing diesel fuel.  The way to relieve this inflationary pressure is to produce more but the political agenda of the left is preventing that from happening.  I know it is only May, but hunting season is not that far away.  I would stock up on shotgun shells as soon as you can.  If you have some on hand, you don’t need to worry about it.

We have all been suffering from acute cabin fever, but we have finally made it outside.  Of course, nothing is perfect.  Waiting for us this year is the greatest infestation of ticks Illinois and the rest of the country has ever experienced.  The cause is the wetter than usual spring.  In recent years, more ticks are surviving because of a warmer winter.  Last winter was cold here but not everywhere.  Ticks’ main mode of transportation seems to be on migratory birds.  Ticks are blood suckers and birds fill the bill quite nicely.  While we are all happy to see that first robin in the spring, they also are bringing some unwanted guests to your yard.

The types of ticks in Illinois and other midwestern states have increased.  We used to have the deer tick and the dog tick, not that those weren’t nasty enough.  They carry Lyme Disease which can be deadly.  I knew a woman in Wisconsin who contracted Lyme Disease and it eventually killed her.  Now we have new or newer species of ticks such as the lone star tick, black legged tick, the gulf coast tick, and now, the Asian longhorned tick is headed our way from the east coast.  The Asian longhorned tick can reproduce without a mate.  The black legged tick is associated with Powassan virus which can cause encephalitis and meningitis.  Half of those who survived Lyme Disease, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis (inflammation of the spine) suffer from lifelong disabilities.  A couple of tick species are hunters.   Any of the ticks we have had in the past would wait on grass, brush, or drop out of low tree branches to get to you.  Gulf Coast ticks and lone star ticks will actually hunt you.  The lone star tick will give you a lifelong allergy to red meat, known as alpha-gal syndrome.  Dog ticks belong to the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever group of ticks and carry all kinds of nasty diseases.  While ticks are a problem, they can be avoided by always using insect repellent with lots of DEET.  Remember, your pets can get ticks also and bring them home to you.  Make sure they are protected.  Ticks are becoming more common in people’s yards, so remember that.  Ticks will be at your next cook out.  If you find a tick, get it off you right away.  Keep the tick for identification purposes so the doctors have an idea of what they are dealing with.  Go to a prompt care if your own doctor can’t see you right away.  A few years ago, I got back from the range and found a tick just in my hairline on the back of my neck.  I called my doctor and she got me in right away.  I was on antibiotics before I left her office.  Always keep insect repellent with you in your vehicle and in your shooting bag.

Coyotes are an invasive species that have adapted very well to form urban and suburban environments.  They are well known for eating small dogs and cats for some time.  They have also been known to attack small children.  Recently, in Dallas, Texas, a two-year-old was attacked while sitting on his family’s front porch.  In Vancouver, British Columbia, 45 people were attacked by coyotes in 2021.  There are those who like coyotes, but I am not on that list.  I suggest a dose of buckshot or hollow point to thin them out. 

A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit has struck down a California law that bans the sale of semi-automatic firearms to qualified citizens between 18 and 20 years old.  The courts have ruled that a U.S. citizens civil right is fully vested at the age of 18.

The Biden Administration is using the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BAFTE) to attack Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL).  According to the Second Amendment Foundation, license revocations are up 500%.  The cause of these revocations are minor mistakes people have made filling out the 4473-firearm purchase form.  The Biden Administration would have us believe these are rogue firearm dealers but that is not true.  I expect a press conference one of these days claiming how tough they are on rogue dealers.  No one is saying they want dealers who violate the law.  The real purpose of all this is harassment and to make it harder to buy a firearm.  If you are a dealer, be sure to check your paperwork.  Many of the larger stores are using computer-based forms that won’t let you move on to the next question if you skip a box.  I suspect this is what all this is coming to.

ICCL. 424,208
FOIDs 2,388,420

Tidbits:

May 12, 1903 - President Theodore Roosevelt visits San Francisco, California, and becomes the first President to be filmed while on official business.  Roosevelt had himself filmed constantly, understanding the value of news media.  Roosevelt was also the first President to fly an airplane, and, of course, the first President to be filmed while doing it.

May 13, 1846 - The United States declares war on Mexico.  In 1844, President John Tyler began negotiations with Texas to become part of the Unites States.  Texas was officially annexed on March 29, 1845, during President James K. Polk’s term.  Mexico had threatened war over the annexation of Texas and the disputed territories that were between the Neuces and Rio Grande rivers.  Polk sent in U. S. troops to secure the American claim.   Polk also offered Mexico $25 million for California and much of the Southwest.  Mexico refused.   Congress, at the urging of Polk, declared war on Mexico.  The United States won and because of that, annexed California, and what is now Nevada, Utah, Arizona and parts of Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.  Santa Anna received $15 million for the territory. 

Polk also negotiated with Great Britain and obtained what is now Washington and Oregon and added them into the Union.  All in all, Polk, in just four years, added 1.2 million square miles to the United States.  In 1853, after Polk’s death, the Gadsden Purchase added more to Arizona and New Mexico, completing the Continental United States as we know it today.  James K Polk and Andrew Jackson were friends and cut from the same cloth.  They believed in the idea of Manifest Destiny.  Manifest Destiny was a 19th century doctrine which believed the expansion of the United States was both justified and inevitable.  Polk made many changes to the United States, shaping it into the country we know today.  He was a tireless worker.  In four years, he only took 27 days off, including weekends.  On top of that, he worked 12 hours a day.  He was one of our greatest Presidents, yet he is mostly overlooked in history.  He had promised he would serve only four years.  At the end of his term in office, he took a tour through the South where he became exposed to cholera.  He died June 15, 1849, only a few months after leaving office.

May 14, 1948 - Israel becomes a nation state.

May15, 1943 - Congress establishes the Women’s Corps.  They were a great group and made a huge difference in WWII and beyond.

May 17, 1943 - The B-17 bomber, the Memphis Belle, completes 25 missions over Europe.  Air crews were devastated with heavy casualties during WWII.  To complete 25 missions without being shot down was unheard of.  The crew of the Memphis Belle were sent home to raise money for War Bonds.

May 18, 1917 - Congress passes the Selective Service Act.  Originally, the United States thought enough men would volunteer to fill the needs of the U. S. Armed Forces for WWI.  That proved to be a false hope very quickly.  The Selective Service Act still exists today in case of national emergency.  So far, our national defense needs are being met with volunteers.

Thanks for being a member!

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

Saturday, May 14, 2022
New Shooter Highpower Rifle Competition Clinic

Sunday, May 15, 2022
Joe Brown Highpower League/Edward J Neumann Match

Tuesday, May 17 & 24, 2022
Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League

Wednesday, May 18 & 25, 2022
F-Class Rifle League
Bench Rest League
Paper & Steel League

Thursday, May 19 & 26, 2022
ISRA Smallbore Prone/F-Class League

Saturday & Sunday, May 21 & 22, 2022
ISRA Academy NRA Basic Rifle Class – spots are still available

Sunday, May 22, 2022
ISRA Bullseye Match & Combat Match

Saturday, May 28, 2022
Armed Women of America

Saturday & Sunday, May 28 & 29, 2022
MTG Defensive Rifle Course

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