Executive Director's Message

Richard Pearson

Florida has passed permitless carry, and it has been signed by Governor DeSantis.
It will take effect on July 1, 2023. Florida is the 26th state to pass permitless carry.

We are waiting for oral arguments in the Illinois Gun Ban lawsuit.  We are now less than a week away. The oral arguments will be held on April 12, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for Southern Illinois, East St Louis. I think it will take three or four weeks to receive a decision. Whatever happens, the case will be appealed to the Seventh Circuit.

In California, Judge Dana Sabraw of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California has granted a Preliminary Injunction halting the infamous California Handgun Roster. The roster was the offspring of the California Unsafe Handgun Act...  no modern firearm has been able to meet the ever-increasing standard for ten years. 

The recent mayoral race in the City of Chicago tells us which direction the city is headed. Paul Vallas is a moderate Democrat who is tough on crime.  More than half of Chicago voters rejected his message. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson is an apologist for crime. I predict this means crime will rise, not decrease.  If the crime rate does increase, don’t blame the law-abiding gun owners of this state. 

The summer of 2020 was a bad year for rioting everywhere, particularly in Chicago. I hope we don’t have a spark to set off rioting like in 2020. As I often say, hope is a poor strategy. Prepare yourself for the upcoming summer in whatever way you think necessary. 
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I have mentioned the value of training with people who share where you live or those you often go out with. They may not be the same people. If they are not, you need to train with both.

In Hemet, California, a couple in their 70s heard someone breaking into their home in the middle of the night. The husband grabbed a .22 pistol and headed for the bathroom, where he heard noises. When he opened the bathroom door, he was attacked. The two men struggled. The home invader was 27 years old and had a definite advantage. Finally, the homeowner shot the intruder three or four times during the struggle in the bathroom. Then the intruder went to the bedroom, where he encountered the lady of the house. The wife had retrieved her .357 magnum. The intruder managed to hit her in the face, but she got a shot off hitting the intruder.  The home invader then fled and was later picked up at a local hospital and arrested. Both the husband and the wife were treated for bruising and cuts from the battle, but they are alive and will be ok.  

Had this happened and only one person was fighting back, both victims could have been killed or badly injured. The age disparity was a significant factor. Thankfully they were both armed.  Of course, some will second guess how they fought back, but my comment to them is, being in a house in the middle of the night fighting for your life isn’t all that easy.  

There are classes that teach people how to fight together to ward off attackers.

April 6, 1917
The United States enters WWI.  The United States was not prepared for war.   A lot had to be done.  It would not be until June 26, 1917, that American troops would arrive in France.

While the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sofie is blamed for WWI, it goes much, much deeper than that.  It would take volumes to explain all the factors.  The old world was seething with unrest driven by the desire for democracy.
There were 37 European monarchies at the beginning of WWI. There would only be one that would survive, the British Monarchy, which would be just a figurehead...

The United States chose General John “Black Jack” Pershing as the commander of the American forces. Pershing was educated at West Point by those who had experienced trench warfare during the American Civil War and understood “Trench Warfare” well.  He wanted no part of it. He preferred “open field” warfare.  The European Allies viewed the fresh American troops as “fresh meat.” Pershing did not want his troops used that way.  He worked to keep the American troops together. Some were sent to French and British units. By keeping the Americans together, he saved the lives of many of his troops.
The Europeans looked down on the Americans as being poorly trained. The Americans earned respect because of the heroism of people like Sargent York, units like the 308th Infantry regiment of Lost Battalion Fame, and the United States Marines at Belleau Wood and Chateau Thierry.  

WWI changed the course of history for the United States and the world. Huge mistakes were made after the fighting stopped, which led to an even worse conflict, WWII.

April 7, 1945
The Japanese Battleship “Yamato” is sunk. The Yamato weighed 72,300 tons. It was equipped with 18.1-inch guns that were accurate up to 25 miles.   The main gun turrets on the ship wearing more than a U. S. Navy destroyer…. The lack of air cover and shortage of fuel doomed the Yamato.  It took 19 torpedoes to sink the Yamato.  

April 9, 1865
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox, Virginia. The American Civil officially come to an end. The fallout from the Civil War is still with us today. 

April 9, 1942
After a valiant stand against the Japanese troops, the American soldiers are forced to surrender. The Japanese invaded the Philippines in early December 1941. The Japanese thought they would only be able to hold out for two weeks. The defenders were finally out of food and ammunition. Still, their efforts slowed the Japanese’s timetable by also four months. The defenders of Bataan were mostly soldiers from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio. The Bataan Museum is located at Camp Perry, Ohio, near Port Clinton. 

 If you think you’re having a tough day, visit that museum sometime. You will get over it quickly. You will also learn how lucky we all are that we had men and women like those defenders in WWII.

April 10, 1942
The Bataan Death March begins.   Some 72,000 to 75,000 American and Filipino troops are forced to march 65 miles through the jungle heat without food or water. Only about 54,000 made it to camp.  For those that made it to the camp, death awaited many.  Another 26,000 Filipinos and 1500 Americans died while in the camps.  

April 11, 1803
French Foreign Minister Talleyrand offers to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States. The French were afraid that if they lost the impending war, the British would get Louisiana. There sold Louisiana two weeks before the war started.  Napoleon wanted the United States to have the territory because the United States would eclipse Great Britain as a world power. It was a gift to the United States and himself.

April 12, 1945
President Franklin Roosevelt dies while serving his fourth term in office. FDR had not informed Vice President Harry Truman of many of the secrets of WWII. The biggest one was the Manhattan Project which developed the atomic bomb. Truman filled FDR’s shoes.  He ordered the bombs to be dropped.  

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Range Activities

Gun show list.

April 22. 2023

National Civil War and Collector's Arms Show
9 am to 4 pm 
Saturday only
DuPage County Fairgrounds 
2015 Manchester Rd
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

April 22 and 23
Will County Gun Show
Will County Fairgrounds 
710 S. West St. 
Peotone, Illinois 60468

April 30, 2023
McHenry County Gun Show
Saturday only
11900 Country Club Rd
Peotone, Illinois 60468