Thursday Bulletin – May 4, 2023 Executive Director's Message Richard Pearson |
|
|
As I watch states like Illinois, California, New York, New Jersey, and Washington, it is evident that the legislators think they were elected to the Garden of the Gods rather than their state's legislative body. These people are hoping to trample over everyone’s Second Amendment Rights and anything else they disagree with. These people must go. There is a General Election coming up in 2024. Now is the time to get
ready.
If we don’t, it will just get worse and worse until there is no freedom
left except for the elites.
Under the heading “Here is the problem,” example number 1,512,264 happened in Richland County, South Carolina. Richard County police arrested two teenagers for shooting up a party. Both had previously been charged with gun-related crimes. One of them, Ty’Quan Kelly, had been arrested three times in the last 30 days on gun
charges. The other shooter, Misquis Fulwiley had a similar record. Guess what? The judge let them go again. This is got to change.
On Friday, April 28, 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen P. McGlynn issued a preliminary injunction against
the Protecting Illinois Communities Act (PICA), the semi-auto and magazine ban. This bill was signed on January 10, 2023, and was effective immediately. PICA is a gun ban, pure and simple. Don’t delude yourself into thinking they did not know what they were doing or that they don’t understand. They knew exactly what they were doing, and they do understand. PICA is a bold attack on your Second Amendment Rights, and it does what they intended it to do. PICA has zero to do with criminals and
everything to do with taking firearms from law-abiding citizens.
There were four lawsuits against PICA filed in the U. S. Court four the Southern District.
They are Barnett et al. Raoul et al., Harrel et al. Raoul et al( the ISRA, SAF, and FPC case), Langley et al. v Kelly et al., and Federal Firearms Licensees et al. v Jay Robert “J.B.” Pritzker et al. I expect them to be combined into one lawsuit.
Judge McGlynn did a great job laying out the court cases that led up to these lawsuits. The history of how all this came about is important to understand, as well as all the steps
that had to be completed before these latest lawsuits were possible. Judge McGlynn’s analysis of these lawsuits also answers the question of why don’t you just……?
The answer is that it isn’t that easy. In the 27 lawsuits, the ISRA has been involved in thousands of conversations, ideas, details, and funds that all must come
together to make it work. If one does not pay attention to these details, failure is likely the result. Remember, we are playing against a government that uses its money against its own citizens, so it is always going to be an uphill battle.
A quick review of the firearm cases that led to where we are today is
important. Each case laid a foundation stone for the next case to be built on. For example, Heller established the right to keep and bear arms in federal jurisdiction. If that is true in a federal jurisdiction, it must also be true in other jurisdictions. Each case helped the next until we arrived where we are today.
Here is part of the conclusion in Judge McGlynn’s order:
“Plaintiffs have satisfied their burden for a preliminary injunction. They have shown irreparable harm with no adequate remedy at law, a reasonable likelihood
of success on the merits, that the public interest is in favor of the relief, and the balance of harm weighs in their favor. Therefore, the Plantiffs’ motions for preliminary injunction are GRANTED. Defendants are ENJOINED from enforcing Illinois statutes 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9(b) and (c), and 720 ILCS 5/24-1.10, along with PICA amended provisions set forth in 735 ILCS 5/24-1(a), including sub-paragraphs (11), (14), (15), and (16), statewide during the pendency of this litigation until the Court can
address the merits.”
At the time of this writing, here is where we stand. The state has filed a motion for a stay of the preliminary injunction. The state has also filed a motion for consolidating all four cases into one. Nothing has been decided yet on those issues. The Seventh Circuit has
agreed to expedite the process. Unless a court grants a stay, the Preliminary Injunction will be enforced statewide.
The judge has requested that ISRA reply by May 8th. We will have to see what happens from there.
_______________________________________________________________
Tidbits
May 4, 1865
Finally, Lincoln’s long journey home to Springfield, Illinois, comes to an end when he is finally buried in the family plot in Oak Ridge Cemetery. Lincoln was not to stay there.
On April 14, 1865,
just hours before he was shot, Lincoln created the Secret Service.
The Secret Service's original mission was not to protect the President. It was to find counterfeiters. Counterfeiting was widespread in the 1860s. The Secret Service did come to the aid of President Lincoln in
1876.
In 1876 a gang of Chicago ( Of course, Chicago) counterfeiters devised a plan to steal Lincoln’s body and hold it for ransom. The Lincoln family plot was only protected by a wrought iron fence.
And a get with a single padlock at the time. The Secret Service had an undercover agent who had penetrated the counterfeiter’s gang and foiled the plot.
Lincoln’s body was hastily moved and buried in an unmarked grave. Lincoln’s Tomb was built, and his body was encased in a steel cage and under ten feet on concrete. The Secret Service was not assigned to protect the President until 1901, after the assassination of President McKinley.
Lincoln was really quite a man. He was self-educated. It is wrong to say that self-educated people are uneducated. It is estimated that Lincoln had an IQ of around 150. His way with words was amazing. He understood what he was saying and who he was saying it to, an art lost to most politicians today. Moreover, his background
required him to understand how things worked. He is the only president to hold a patent. Lincoln patented an air chamber device to lift steamboats off shoals.
Lincoln also was a wrestler. In fact, he is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. His record is 299
wins and one loss. He was one of those lanky strong types you don’t want to underestimate. Lincoln also had a rifle range on the National Mall in the back of the White House. It was illegal to shoot inside the Washington D.C. city limits, but who was going to tell the president no? He loved shooting and testing firearms, particularly repeating rifles. I have seen a group he shot with a Spencer rifle. He was an excellent shot.
Lincoln often attended artillery tests put on by the Army. Most people don’t think of Lincoln as a “man’s man,” but he was.
May 4, 1904
Theodore Roosevelt negotiates the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty giving the United States Control of the Canal Zone.
In 1902 Congress passed the Spooner Act authorizing the acquisition of a defunct French company that had tried to build the Panama Canal. The French simply wanted to cut through the Isthmus of Panama to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
It was too much for them to handle. Disease and accidents ravaged the French company. American engineers took a different approach. They build a series of locks and dams to lift the ships upfront up to a man-made lake and down the other side. The Americans had one more advantage. They were experienced in
mosquito control, which brought on yellow fever. Still, in the ten years it took to finish the Panama Canal 5620, people were killed or died of disease, an average of over one and a half persons per day. In October 1913, President Woodrow Wilson detonated the last explosive charge by telegraph that completed the Panama Canal.
May 5, 1921
Coco Chanel officially introduces her famous Chanel N0. 5 perfume. It has cost men millions of dollars ever since.
May 6, 1942
Lt General Johnathan Wainwright surrenders all American Forces in the
Philippines.
Out of food, medical supplies, and ammunition, Wainwright had no choice. Wainwright had been left in command after General MacArthur left for Australia. He spent the next four-plus years as a prisoner of war. MacArthur was sure he was right behind him
when the Japanese surrendered aboard the U.S.S Missouri. In 1948 President Harry Truman awarded Wainwright the Medal of Honor.
May 8, 1792
Congress passes the Militia Act requiring able-bodied citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 to be enrolled in the militia.
May 8, 1945
The Germans surrendered on May 7, 1945. The next day V-E Day is declared. Celebrations broke out in cities and towns large and small throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France,
and the western allies.
May 9, 1887
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show opens in London. In 1872 Edward Zane James Carroll had written a dime novel featuring Buffalo Bill under the pen name Ned Buntline.
Buffalo Bill performed for 11 seasons and, in 1883, started his
own show called the Wild West, Rocky Mountain, and Prairie Exhibition. The show grew from there. Buffalo Bill’s show finally ended in 1913 due to financial problems. Buffalo Bill performed until 1917, when he died. More than 18,000 people attended his funeral. He is buried on Lookout Mountain above Denver, Colorado.
May 9, 1914
President Woodrow Wilson declares the first Mother’s Day. Thanks to all those moms out
there.
_______________________________________________________________
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 shooters welcome.
Equipment and coaching are available for those wanting to try it out.
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: 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.
