Brilliant Fall colors are brightening the countryside and neighborhoods.  They will only be around a little longer so enjoy them.  The trees are more striking than they have been in the last few years, the reds seem redder, and the golds seem more golden.  Around my area, the sugar maples have outdone themselves with as beautiful a gold color as I remember.  If any of you are planting trees in the coming year, consider picking one with great fall colors.

Upland game season will be here November 5th.  Game populations have struggled the last few years.  The problem, of course, is habitat.  Growing up, there were pheasants and rabbits everywhere.  There are still some pheasants around my area largely because some of the farmers and landowners really are stewards of the land and wildlife.  Hats off to groups like Pheasants and Quail Forever, Delta Waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited, and National Wild Turkey Federation for preserving as much habitats as possible.

A few years ago, the ISRA, NRA, IFOR, and other groups passed a bill to protect state owned hunting grounds known as the “The No Net Loss of Hunting Ground” bill.  The effect of this bill is that if the state sells hunting ground for some purpose, they have to replace it with hunting ground.  This has helped. This is something sportsmen need to work on.  Both private and public hunting areas need to be expanded in Illinois.

In the beginning of October, the ISRA Range in Bonfield, Illinois, hosted five classes taught by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) and the United States Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU).  I have to say this was one of our best programs ever.  Here is what the CMP had to say about the event: “The Illinois State Rifle Association is a fantastic host, and they have told us we are welcome anytime”, said Amy Cantù, CMP Associate who manages the Marksmanship 101 program.  I can’t wait for them to come back.

Chicago and Cook County’s easy on criminals policy reminds me of one of my mother’s favorite sayings, “One thing leads to another.”  On August 2^nd, 2022, the Chicago Police had a hijacked car staked out.  They watched as Kendrick Anderson and four others climbed into the stolen car.  When the police tried to stop him, he hit a parked car, then hit the squad car and totaled out the stolen car.  He posted a $9000 bond and was out of jail.  Then on September 2^nd, he was charged with misdemeanor trespass of another vehicle and was let out of jail on a personal recognizance bond.  After all, he had proven himself to be trustworthy-right.  Last Thursday, an off-duty police officer was standing outdoors of her personal vehicle filling out paperwork.  Along came Anderson and two other people.  The two guys boxed her in, and Anderson jumped behind the wheel of the officer’s SUV and tried to drive away.  The officer distanced herself and drew her gun.  At least one of the two thugs fired at her, and she returned fire.  She hit Anderson in the leg but all three got away.  Anderson was dropped off at a hospital and an alert security guard took a picture of the plates of the car that dropped him off.  As a surprise to no one, that car was also stolen.  Anderson is now in the hospital recovering at taxpayers’ expense.  He now has a $7,000,000 bond which means it will take $700,000 to get him out.  Anderson bled all over the officer’s SUV, leaving one of his boots and fingerprints behind.  He was still wearing the other boot when he was arrested at the hospital. 

This guy has and will cost the citizens of Illinois money all his life.  Even if he is put in jail, he will be let out and some poor victim will get robbed, carjacked, or maybe killed by this jerk.  You think this is something, you wait until the Safety-T Act goes into effect January 1^st, 2023.

Illinois Congressman Bill Foster (Democrat District 11 Naperville) thinks AR15s are too dangerous for you to own and should be outlawed.  Foster is parroting Joe Biden’s song and dance on gun control. Somehow, I can see Foster sitting on Joe Biden’s shoulder squawking liberal dogma, just what we don’t need in a congressman.

In Key Largo, Florida, an armed citizen saw a woman being hit in the face and then falling to the ground; her assailant was stomping on her head and shoulders.  The woman was the former girlfriend of the assailant and was 14 weeks pregnant.  The armed citizen took action and stopped the attack.  Not to worry though, the assailant had a No Contact Order against him which certainly was effective - or was it?  The handgun certainly was more effective.  For those who cringe at the word “gun”, we will just call it a high-speed wireless security device.

Election Day is under two weeks away.

Tidbits:

October 27, 1873 - Joseph Gibbons of De Kalb County, Illinois, applies for a patent on barbed wire.  His simple product changed the west forever.  Barbed wire ended the “Open Range” and ended the cattle drives.  The famous cow towns like Dodge City and Abilene disappeared forever.

October 27, 1904 - The New York Subway opens.  It was a marvel of its time.  Each day, about 4.5 million people ride the New York subway.  That means the criminals running wild in New York have a nice selection of victims to rob, beat up, or push in front of an oncoming train.  Even stranger, the potential victims pay to be there.  People from rural America are looked at as stupid bumpkins by New Yorkers. Fly over states are scoffed at by those all-knowing big city folks.  Well, you folks just keep flying over, we don’t want you landing here and contaminating where we live.

October 28, 1793 - Eliphalet Remington is born.  In 1816, he founded what was to become America’s oldest gun company.

October 28, 1919 - Congress passes the Volstead Act, providing enforcement of the 18th Amendment which bans the sale of alcohol.  Saloons disappeared, sort of.  Because of prohibition, organized crime and the Mafia became established in the United States.  For a long time, the Mafia was the leading criminal organization in the United States until it was replaced by the Federal Government.

October 31, 1963 - The Beatles play on the Ed Sullivan Show.  The Beatles had tried to break into to the American music market several times but just couldn’t get it done.  Finally, because of a chance meeting at Heathrow Airport, they were booked on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Beatlemania swept across the country.  I saw that show. 

November 1, 1800 - President John Adams moves into the newly completed President’s House which soon became known as the White House.  On November 1, John and Abigail Adam’s furniture arrived.  Shortly before, a picture of George Washington was placed on the wall of the White House.  It was the first furniture in the White House if you consider a picture a piece of furniture.  John sent his wife Abigail a note saying he hoped “none but honest and wise men would ever rule under this roof”.  That hasn’t been working out very well lately.

November 2, 1777 - John Paul Jones set sail aboard the U.S.S. Ranger to the port of Brest, France.  After leaving Brest, he headed to the Irish Sea and immediately got to work attacking British warships.  This was the first mission of its type during the Revolutionary War.  John Paul Jones is known as the “Father of the American Navy”.  John Paul Jones is buried in the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland.

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Visit www.isra.org
Upcoming Events:

Saturday, October 29, 2022
Tactical Carbine Class
Armed Women of America

Sunday, October 30, 2022
Bullseye Match
Fall Glock League

Wednesday, November 2 & 9, 2022
Pellet Rifle League

Saturday, November 5, 2022
Range Work Day
ISRA Steel Challenge

Sunday, November 6, 2022
Bonfield Muzzle Loaders
ISRA 3Gun

Gun & Trade Shows

Bloomington Gun & Knife Show – Bloomington, IL
Interstate Center
Dates: October 29 & 30, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $8.00 (2-day pass $10.00)

Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show – Kankakee, IL
Kankakee County Fairgrounds
Dates: October 29 & 30, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00
             Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00

Sauk Trail Gun Show – Princeton, IL
Bureau County Fairgrounds
Dates: October 29 & 30, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 8:30-4:00
             Sunday: 8:30-3:00
Admission: $5.00

Mt Vernon Knife Show – Mt Vernon, IL
Rolland W Lewis Community Building
Dates: November 4 & 5, 2022
Hours: Friday: 1:00-6:00
             Saturday: 9:00-4:00
Admission: $3.00

Aledo Gun & Knife Show – Aledo, IL
Mercer County Fairgrounds
Dates: November 5 & 6, 2022
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

Kane County Sportsman’s Show – St Charles, IL
Kane County Fairgrounds
Date: November 13, 2022
Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30
Admission: $7.00