Thursday Bulletin – May 25, 2023
Executive Director's Message Richard Pearson |
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man most of you have never heard of has passed away in Hawaii. Sam Slom was a State Senator in Hawaii for many years. He was the only Republican in the Hawaiian Senate. He would joke around and tell everyone how easy it was to have a Republican Senate caucus. Wherever he was, the entire caucus was there. More importantly, Sam was a founding director of the Second Amendment Foundation. Sam was one of the first people to recognize the coming threat to the Second Amendment. Sam
manned the ramparts of freedom for well over 50 years. Sam will be missed.
There is very little news about the so-called assault weapons ban lawsuit now before the Seventh Circuit
Court. The Seventh Circuit Court is expediting the lawsuit, which is as much as we can hope for right now. Our attorneys are preparing for the hearing on June 29. Until then, we just have to wait. I am sure one of the reasons the Seventh Circuit is expediting the case is so the United States Supreme Court doesn’t step in.
I urge all of you not to wait for this lawsuit to be settled. Keep fighting. This is the battle of our lives. We have to prepare for the upcoming 2024 elections. It only seems like there is a lot of time. There isn’t. As General George S. Patton said, “Better to fight for something than to live for
nothing.”
On Tuesday, the Fifth Circuit, which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, issued a Preliminary Injunction against enforcement of the ATF’s pistol brace rule. This Preliminary Injunction ONLY COVERS Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. This injunction will stand
only until oral arguments can be heard and a ruling issued. This does give hope to all those who have and use these braces.
Uber and Lyft drivers, as well as passengers, have been disarmed by their respective company policies. Based on recent events, they are obviously a
target for robbery, rape, and murder. Now there is a new company out there that offers armed drivers. It is called Black Wolf, and they have an app. They offer customers armed or unarmed drivers. The base rate is $50 plus $1.75 a mile for unarmed drivers and $60 plus $1.75 a mile for armed drivers. In the first week, over 80,000 people have downloaded the app, reports Atlanta First News. Anti-gunners should not be allowed to use Black Wolf.
More than 16,000 Turkeys Harvested during Spring Hunting Season
Hunters harvested 16,121 wild turkeys during the 2023 Illinois spring season, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced Tuesday.
The preliminary yield is up 17 percent over the 2022 total of 13,701. The top five turkey hunting counties this season were Jo Daviess with 595 turkeys, Jefferson with 487, Pike with 419, Pope with 379, and Randolph with 370. The total includes the youth turkey harvest of 1,309 birds, up from 1,258 last
year.
Despite the increase in harvest, hunting permits sold were down this year: 80,643 compared to 81,672.
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Meteorological summer has arrived! Time to get out and do some shooting and encourage others to do the same. Ammunition prices are comparatively low right now, so take advantage of the bargains.
Also, take advantage of the activities at shooting ranges.
At the ISRA Range, new shooters are welcome in all the leagues. On Tuesday, the Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League runs from 11:30 am until dusk. The early relays are for
those who have time during the day. The last relays start at about 5:00 pm and 5:30 pm. There will be a cookout afterward.
On Wednesday, the F-Class High-power League starts at 8:00 am and runs until 5:00 pm. Loaner rifles are
available for those who would like to try it out.
Also, on Wednesday, The Paper Steel League starts at 11:00 am and runs until 5:00 pm.
Another Wednesday league is the Benchrest League. It runs from 8:00 am until dusk.
Thursday, the Smallbore and Smallbore F-Class leagues run from 2:00 pm until 7:00 pm.
Saturday, the Armed Women of America have their meeting at 9:00 am,
followed by their monthly shoot.
There are some leagues that have not started yet. Keep them in mind.
On Monday, June 12, the Vintage Military Rifle Benchrest League will start at 3:00 pm.
On Sunday, June 18, the Springfield pistol league will hold its first match of the year.
You will need to be there by 8 or 8:30 am
On Sunday, June 25, the Summer Glock League starts. Be there by 8:30 am. The first shot will be at 8:45 am.
On June 10, the AR15 Maintenance class will be held in the Clubhouse. There are still a few openings. Call Shirley at 815-635-3198 with questions or to register.
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Tidbits
May 25, 1787
All the States except Rhode Island gather in Philadelphia in what we now know as Independence Hall. At that time, it was the Pennsylvania State House.
By this time, everyone knew the Articles of Confederation were not working. The States had too much sovereignty. Congress had to beg the states for money just to keep the military going. Often, they would not pay or delayed so long it endangered the national defense. There were also other problems that made the Articles unworkable. It was obvious they
had to be scrapped, there was no good way to amend them.
George Washington was elected president of the convention. It took three months of debate and compromise, but finally, on
September 17, 1787, the new Constitution of the United States was signed by 38 of the 41 delegates. To take effect, it had to be ratified by nine of the thirteen states. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution. The new Constitution would become effective on March 4, 1789.
All the states eventually ratified the Constitution. The last was Rhode Island. Rhode Island did not like the Federal Government having control of the money. Finally, the other 12 states told Rhode Island that if they did not agree to ratify the Constitution, they would break off all economic ties to the state. They ratified the Constitution but
by only two votes.
How many Presidents were there before George Washington? The answer is 14.
Some served as Presidents of the Continental Congress, and some served under the Articles of Confederation. Payton Randolph of Virginia was the first President of the Continental Congress in 1774. After the
Articles of Confederation were adopted, they went into force on November 15, 1781, and John Hanson became the first President. They all served approximately one-year terms.
May 25, 1935
Babe Ruth hits his last home run. The Babe had been traded to the Boston Braves by the Yankees. They essentially dumped him. Babe Ruth went four for four, with three of the hits being home runs. The last home run was number 714. Ruth thought he would become manager of the Boston Braves, but when that did not materialize, he quit.
May 26, 1907
John Wayne is born in Winterset, Iowa. This birth name was Marion Michael Morrison
What was the name of John Wayne’s favorite horse? Dollar
May 27, 1941
The German Battleship,
Bismarck, is sunk. There were 2221 crewmen aboard the Bismarck, and only 115 survived. The Bismarck was one of the most feared ships in the world. It weighed in at a hefty 53,486 metric tons. This was at a time when the supposed battleship weight limit, according to the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, was 35,000 tons. So much for treaties. Size does matter. Lack of air cover is what sunk the Bismarck.
May 28, 1918
The village of Cantigny, France, is assaulted by the Allies, including 4000 United States soldiers. As I have mentioned, the European Allies and the Germans looked down on the American soldiers. The
U. S. troops, with support from the Allies, drove the Germans out of Cantigny. The Germans needed Cantigny as one of their main observation posts. Pershing ordered the troops not to give an inch. They didn’t. The Germans counter-attacked seven times in 72 hours. When they weren’t attacking, they were shelling the American troops with regular artillery and poison gas.
The Battle of Cantigny did several things. It deprived the Germans of a key observation point. It proved Pershing was right about open warfare over trench warfare. Most importantly, it proved the Americans were tough as they
come. The U.S. troops suffered a 25% casualty rate but didn’t give an inch. The Allies gained respect, and the Germans realized they were facing a new powerful adversary.
May
30, 1868
General John A. Logan, Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a forerunner of the American Legion, Issues General Order No. 11, proclaiming May 30 as Decoration Day. The purpose was to honor Civil War Veterans by spreading flowers on their graves.
Decoration Day had been observed in both the North and the South before General Logan’s proclamation. The GAR was the most powerful political organization in the country at the time, and its members made sure Decoration Day was observed almost everywhere. Now we call it Memorial Day. Be sure you fly the flag. Take your kids,
grandkids, and the neighbor's kids to the parades and services so they understand the sacrifices that made this country great.
