Executive Director's Message

Richard Pearson

Now that Joe Biden has announced his intention to run for President of the United States again, this should be a clarion call for law-abiding gun owners to get active. Biden and his cronies will stop at nothing to destroy the Second Amendment and all those who stand in the way. Every second he is president, he is entrenching antigun bureaucrats in the government to make life harder for gun owners after he is gone, executing Executive Orders to attack gun owners, the firearms industry, and firearm dealers. Another term would mean more evil does this way come. 

There are only 327 days until the March 19th Primary Election and only 558 days until the 2024 General Election. This sounds like a long time, but in the political world, it is the day after tomorrow. Time is short. If you are not registered to vote, do it today or tomorrow at the latest.  I don’t want to hear that old whine that if you register to vote, they might call you for jury duty. So what! You would let your country go down the drain because you are afraid of jury duty? If so, you are the very definition of worthless. Besides, they use driver’s licenses now. You shouldn’t be driving anyway. If Old Joe gets elected, you won’t have to worry about jury duty anyway. Defendants can’t be on the jury.

It is also time to learn from the other side. Many people don’t like early voting, but early voting helps win elections. It is also time to get over that old saw.

Speaking of elections, notorious Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Fox has announced she will not run for reelection. Don’t get your hopes up. The next Cook County State’s Attorney will probably be just as bad as the current one.

 

Tidbits 

April 27, 1805

United States agent William Eaton marches from Egypt with a force of Marines and Berber mercenaries to attack the Tripolitan Port of Derna. The pro-American pasha, Hamet Karamanli, had been overthrown by his anti-American brother Yusuf Karamanli and he was attacking United States ships. The Port is in present-day Libya. The American attack was successful, Yusuf was defeated, and Hamet Karamanli was restored as pasha. Attacks on American shipping stops.

United States Marine Lt. Presley O’Bannon performed so heroically as commander of the U. S. Marine contingent that the pasha presented him with an elaborately embellished sword. The inscription on the sword contained the phrase “To the shores of Tripoli, “which became part of the Marine hymn. 

April 28, 1789

Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate, seizes the HMS Bounty. The mutiny and the saga begin. Captain Bligh was put aboard a 23 ft. boat and set free to what the mutineers thought would be a certain death. Bligh and his crews made it to the island of Timor. Bligh suffered three mutinies because he was such an oppressive captain.

Some of the mutineers settled in Tahiti, where they were eventually captured. Three were hanged. Fletcher Christian and eight others made it to Pitcairn Island, an uninhabited island at the time. In 1808 an American whaling ship saw smoke from the island and went to investigate. Only one of the mutineers, John Adams was still alive. Fletcher Christian and the others had all died. Pitcairn became overpopulated, and the inhabitants were moved to Norfolk Island. Today there are a few people living on Pitcairn Island, and about 2000 people live on Norfolk Island.  About half of them are related to Fletcher Christian and the other mutineers.

April 30, 1803

The Louisiana Purchase is completed. The 828,000 square mile territory became all or part of the following states; Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. 
Not a bad deal.  

May 1, 1851

The Great Exposition opens in London. The idea was Prince Albert’s and was a great success. There were 10,000 exhibitors. The idea was to show off the industrial might of Great Britain and sell British products. There were many American products also.

American farm machinery turned out to be years ahead of British products. Things like McCormick-Deering reapers and John Deere plows put the British to shame. There were other American products also that surprised the British. The Great Exposition was a great idea for American industry.

May 2, 1924

Rubber gloves became standard equipment at crime scenes. In England, Patrick Mahon is arrested for the murder of his mistress Emily Kaye. Mohan’s wife had asked Scotland Yard to look into a baggage claim ticket she found in her husband’s pocket.

The police found a bloody knife. Mahon had dismembered Emily into such small pieces that her parts were stuffed into hat boxes and brisket cans. The police reassembled poor Emily with their bare hands. Tough duty to be sure. After that, everybody was issued rubber gloves. Everybody. 

May 2, 1918

General Motors Corporation buys Chevrolet. General Motors was founded by William C. Durant in 1908 when he gained control of Buick Motors. In the next years, Durant acquired Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Oakland. His rapid expansion caused GM to struggle financially. In 1910 he formed a new automobile company with Louis Chevrolet, a Swiss race car driver. Durant was squeezed out by Pierre DuPont in 1920.  

Buick was Durant’s original takeover. Buick became the car of choice for kings and royalty of many countries, surpassing Cadillac, Lincoln, and even Rolls Royce. American gangsters liked the Buick. They were strongly built and had powerful engines. The luxury of a Double Side Wheeler ( Two spare tires, one in each front fender) was unsurpassed. They could be armored easily. After WWII, a friend of mine worked with a guy who bought a 1930s something Buick. Cars were hard to find after WWII, so anything that would run would suffice. He went to get the oil changed, and the lift at the gas station couldn’t pick up the car.  Upon investigation, the Buick belonged to a Chicago member of the mob and was lined with armor plates. 

Next time you follow a Buick, you will notice three shields in the logo. Originally there was one shield representing the Buick family's Scottish coat of arms. In 1960 the coat of arms was divided into three shields representing the three models of cars they made, LaSabre, Invicta, and Electra. 

Keep reading. Soon, you will be a trivia master. 
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Shooting leagues are starting up everywhere. Be sure to get into one of them. It is a lot of fun, you meet new friends, and you will become a better motor-knowledgeable shooter.

At the ISRA Range, things are really picking up. The ISRA Small-bore and F-class Small-bore league will be starting on Thursday, May 18. For those new to shooting, small-bore means .22 rimfire, which, by the way, is still the cheapest way to go. 

The league starts at 2 pm and runs until dusk. New shooters are welcome. If you don’t have your own equipment, we will loan you some to try it out. Juniors always have equipment available. Coaching comes with the equipment. How could you go wrong?

On Sunday, May 7, the Black Powder League starts at 7:30 am for registration. Shooting starts at 8 am. Once again, new shooters are welcome. If you don’t have the equipment, we have some available for you to try out. Coaching is included. 

On Tuesdays, the High-Power Irregular Rifle League starts at 11:30 am. Several relays will be run, with the last relay starting at about 5:00 or 5:30 pm. New shooter welcome.
Equipment and coaching are available for those wanting to try it out.

On May 3^rd, the High-Power F-Class league begins. The league starts at 11:30 am and runs until 5:00 pm. There are several relays. The distance you shoot at is 300 yards. 
You should arrive by 4 pm. Once again, there is equipment and expert coaching available.  

The Marksmanship League will be held on May 14 from 8:30 am until noon. The league is designed especially for new pistol shooters, but anyone can join in. So why don’t you come join us?  

June 10 from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Basic AR-15 Maintenance & Care/ Live Fire - Clubhouse, Range 1

The class involves cleaning, maintenance, lubrication, and sighting-in of an AR-15. Bring cleaning materials and ammunition (223/556 factory loads). Open to the public. Cost: $75- ISRA members/ $85-nonmember. Contact and registration: mailto:shirley@isra.org

**With all of these leagues, you must have your FOID Card with you.**  

Right now, the ISRA Range in Bonfield, near Kankakee, is offering $50 off the initiation fees. This is the perfect time to join our wonderful Five Star Range. Why don’t you come out and see the range? For a range tour, Call 815-939-1909 between 8 am and 5 pm and set up a time to come and see one of the most beautiful ranges anywhere. 

If you are not an ISRA member, please join today!

Donate: https://isra.org/support-us/

Visit www.isra.org

Upcoming Events: https://isra.org/events-calendar/

Upcoming Meetings: https://isra.org/isra-activities-and-events/

Kane County Sportsman’s Show – St Charles, IL

 

Kane County Fairgrounds
Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30
Admission: $7.00

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All shows are Sunday 7:30 AM -1:30 PM