Labor Day is the unofficial start of the Midterm Election season.  As of today, we are only 60 days from Election Day.  That means your mailbox is going to be stuffed with campaign ads, newspapers will be full of ads, and when you listen to the radio or watch TV, you will be subjected to relentless broadcasts telling you why one candidate is a saint and the other candidate is the devil incarnate.  Business as usual at election time.  Pay attention to who endorses candidates, the rest is just chaff.

Everyone is looking at the Governor’s race in Illinois.  Darren Bailey is the most pro-gun gubernatorial candidate we have ever had but right now, he is trailing behind Governor Pritzker.  It will be hard for him to make up the difference.  It is important to remember the “down ballot” candidates.  Each election cycle we hear Presidential and Gubernatorial candidates tell us what they are going to do when they get in office.  Congress and the General Assembly are the ones who determine what a President or Governor can or can’t do.  That is why the entire ballot is critical.

Nationally, the Republicans, who are more gun friendly than the Democrats as a rule, have been depending on a midterm election rebound.  I am not so sure.  Elections tend to get tighter as Election Day approaches.  The major problem is in the United States Senate.  One of the reasons for that is the Senator approves Presidential appointments.  Right now, the government bureaucracies are packed with left wing ideologues who govern by rule making authority.  These people overstep their authority all the time.  The fact is, they don’t care.  Groups like the ISRA or others have to sue to get their rights back.  The bureaucrats don’t have to pay a dime.  The term for this type of governmental overreach is called Shadow Government.  The unelected govern the country.  Controlling the Senate helps but it is hard to stop.

On the national scene, firearm sales are down slightly from last year but they are still good.  The estimated firearm sales in August 2022 were 1,286,816 or about 41,500 per day according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).  Americans are continuing to vote with their pocketbooks.
I receive calls about Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) rules on pistol braces.  I would love to give you an answer but there isn’t one at this time.  I also get calls on serializing so-called “ghost guns”.  Illinois thinks you can go to your gun dealer and get your home-built firearm serialized.  You can’t.  According to BATFE rules, only manufacturers can do that.  Most gun stores have a class 1 license which means they can only sell firearms.  They cannot sell fully automatic firearms.  Only a class 3 dealer can do that.  To serialize a firearm, they have to have a class 7 license which is a manufacturer’s license.  If a class 1 dealer applies for a class 7 license, he has to be zoned in an area that allows manufacturing.  No zoning board I know of is going to rezone a commercial or retail area to manufacturing.  Even if they did, the dealer, who is now also a manufacturer, would have to set up an entirely separate operation including insurance which is cost prohibitive.  Any gun that they would serialize would become their responsibility even though they did not make it.  Existing manufacturers like Remington, Winchester, Rock River, Springfield, and others won’t do it because if they serialize the firearm, they become responsible for a firearm they did not make.  There may be some dealers who are also manufacturers who may do it.  I don’t know for sure.  The Illinois General Assembly was told all of this but they passed the so-called ghost gun law anyway.  Since what the state passed is against federal rules, they sort of passed a law that is against the law.  This is not the first time they have passed a law that is against federal law.  The medical marijuana is another example.

Navy Arms has imported a small quantity of WWII British Enfield #4 Mark I rifles of WWII vintage.  These rifles were originally dropped by parachute to members of the French Underground.  They had been stored in caves by the French Government for years.  The parts do not have matching serial numbers and magazines are missing.  There are newly manufactured magazines available.  It is not unusual for military firearms to not have matching serial numbers.  British Enfield’s never got me that excited but for those who would like to add one to their collection, this is an opportunity for you.  For those interested, the Old Western Scrounger is selling them www.ows-ammo.com

We have been making progress on our new ISRA website.  We are anticipating taking new and/or renewal memberships on our website beginning Monday, September 12^th.  If you would like to join or renew, please do so on our website.  We will soon have the ability to accept donations, as well.  We are going to need every gun owner to be a member in the coming months.

I know some of you have mentioned the crazy start and end times that have been listed on our website calendar.  It turns out when we posted an event, the program would convert the time to Greenwich Mean Time.  Great if we were in England, but we are not.  The calendar had to be rebuilt one item at a time.  Whatever the case, we are on the way.

Next week, you will be receiving an invitation to participate in our 119th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Raffle.  This year we have 119 great prizes!  When you donate, you will receive our 2022 commemorative coin featuring the adoption of the Bill of Rights on one side and the ISRA logo on the other.  This is our biggest fundraiser of the year; we can really use your help.  If you are not a member or your membership has expired, we will include an invitation to participate in your member packet.

Illinois State Rifle Association 2022 Marksmanship 101 Rifle and Pistol M16 & M9 Match:
The CMP will be holding a travel Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship 101 Class at the Illinois State Rifle Association on Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2, 2022.  The location is 1589 North 7000 West Rd. Bonfield, Illinois 60913.  Classes are held at the same time; you will need to choose Rifle or Pistol.

Rifle 101 will be a two-day class, with day one consisting of classroom instruction, range training, and practice.  Day two will be the firing of an M16 match, fired on Kongsberg Electronic targets.  The cost for Rifle 101 is $95.00 for adults and $85.00 for juniors.

Pistol 101 will be one day with classroom instruction, range training and practice, followed by firing of an M9 match.  The cost for Pistol 101 is $95.00 for adults and $85.00 for juniors.
CMP will be providing Rifles, Pistols and ammunition.  Competitors should bring the following if they have them: Mats, scopes, jackets, safety glasses etc.  Check in will begin at 7:00AM for Rifle & Pistol Saturday, October 1, 2022, and Class will begin at 8:00AM.
 
Lunch will be provided; if you have dietary restrictions, we ask that you bring your own lunch.
  
CMP is conducting seated (classroom) Range Officer Level II - Highpower Rifle and Bulls-Eye Pistol classes on Friday, September 30, 2022.  Rifle 8:00AM-Noon - Pistol 1:00PM-3:00PM.

You must complete Range Officer Level I Online Course before taking Level II.  Currently, registration is only open for the Range Officer Level I Course.  For information, contact Amy at acantu@thecmp.org or Kim at kfilipiak@thecmp.org.

Tidbits:

September 8, 1664 - New Amsterdam becomes New York when the then Dutch Governor, Peter Stuyvesant, surrenders Manhattan to the English.  Peter Stuyvesant was so unpopular the Dutch settlers refused to help him.  In 1626, Dutch Governor, Peter Minuit, purchased the land from the Manhattan Indians for $24 in trinkets, according to legend. 

September 9, 1776 - The Continental Congress formally declares the new name for the United Colonies to be the United States.

September 10, 1813 - The Battle of Lake Erie.  Captain Oliver Hazard Perry and his fleet of nine ships defeated a British Squadron of six ships.  Captain Perry had his ship, the Lawrence, destroyed by the British and transferred his command to the Niagara.  Perry sailed directly into the British squadron delivering broadside after broadside, forcing them to surrender. Perry’s famous message to General William Henry Harrison simply started, “We have met the enemy and he is ours”.  Perry’s victory caused the British to abandon Detroit and secured territories in the Northwest for the United States.

September 11, 2021 - The United States suffers attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.  The Capitol Building would have been attacked also but was saved by the brave passengers on Flight 93.  Fly the Stars and Stripes on this day.

September 13, 1963 - Mary Kay Ash invests her life savings into her own cosmetic company.  With the help of her 20-year-old son, she turned Mary Kay into a household name and a 3.5-billion-dollar worldwide company.  Mary Kay Ash quit her job when she was passed over for a promotion and a man was paid twice her salary.  “Men thought women had no brain matter”, stated Mary Kay.  She showed them.  Mary Kay Ash passed away in 2001.  Her company lives on.

September 14, 1814 - Francis Scott Key pens the “Star-Spangled Banner” as he watched the British shelling of Fort McHenry.  The British fleet dropped 1500 shells on Fort McHenry.  Key was aboard a British ship seeking the release of U.S. prisoners of war.  The shelling went on all night.  At dawn, Key thought he would see the British had captured Fort McHenry, but the Stars and Stripes were still flying.  He wrote a poem on the back of an envelope entitled, Defense of Fort M’Henry.  Newspapers printed the poem, but a local printer changed the title to “The Star-Spangled Banner”.  The name stuck and the title of the poem disregarded.  It is legend that the tune of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was a British drinking song; the melody is more like a song entitled “Anacreon in Heaven” which Francis Scott Key used in another poem.  A young church musician, thought to be John Stafford, wrote the piece in the 1760s.

Thanks for being a member!

Visit www.isra.org
Upcoming Events:

Friday, September 9, 2022
Additional Range Work Day – 3:45pm

Saturday, September 10, 2022
MAG 80
Metric Smallbore Prone Championship

Sunday, September 11, 2022
MAG 80
Conventional Smallbore Prone Championship
Covet Carry Handgun

Monday, September 12, 2022
Military Benchrest League

Tuesday, September 13 & 20, 2022
Tuesday Night Irregular Rifles

Wednesday, September 14 & 21, 2022
F-Class League
Benchrest League
Paper Steel League

Saturday, September 17, 2022
2022 Illinois Short Course Championship
ISRA Academy NRA Basic Shotgun Course

Sunday, September 18, 2022
2022 Illinois Short Course Championship
Bullseye Match
Marksmanship League

Saturday, September 24, 2022
DTI Urban Rifle
Armed Women of America

Sunday, September 25, 2022
DTI Urban Rifle
Fall Glock League

Gun & Trade Shows

Westville Gun Show – Westville, IL
Fireside Event Space
Dates: September 10 & 11, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: Free

Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show – Kankakee, IL
Kankakee County Fairgrounds
Dates: September 17 & 18, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00
             Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00

Boot City Opry Guns, Knives & Outdoorsman Show – Terre Haute, IN
Boot City Opry
Dates: September 17 & 18, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

McHenry County Gun Show – Woodstock, IL
McHenry County Fairgrounds
Date: September 18, 2022
Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:00
Admission: $5.00

Chicagoland’s Civil War & Collector Arms Show – Wheaton, IL
DuPage County Fairgrounds
Date: September 24, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00
Admission: $10.00

Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club Gun & Knife Show – Chillicothe, IL
Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club
Dates: September 24 & 25, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 8:30-4:00
             Sunday: 8:30-3:00
Admission: $3.00