Thursday Bulletin – December 21, 2023
Executive Director's Message Richard Pearson |
Status of the Illinois Gun Ban case. Right now, the ISRA,
the ISRA 2nd Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the Firearms Policy Collation (FPC) are working diligently on our appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. I will let you know something as soon as it is filled. I expect the filing to be done sometime in late January or early February. We are hoping to have this issue resolved by the last Monday in June. Today, December 21, 2023, is
the Winter Solstice – the official first day of winter. The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, but not the earliest sunset. It is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, when the sun is at its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky. The ISRA is on YouTube The ISRA has been publishing regular updates on both Facebook and our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@IllinoisStateRifleAssociation. While Facebook is not showing our content to all of our followers, YouTube makes sure to notify our subscribers every time a new update is published. Make sure to visit the YouTube Channel and Subscribe. What's on our YouTube? Video updates like this from ISRA President Doug Mayhall, our lobbyists, and
other useful tools for 2A supporters like you. I want to recognize two of our
members, Joyce Lindelof, 95, and James Vinopal, 96, for their longtime membership and service to the ISRA. WARNING! Concealed Carry Permits available online. If you happen to come across a website or receive an email from a company or organization stating that you can receive your concealed carry permit online – PLEASE DISREGARD. Although it may be
legal in some states – this is ILLEGAL in Illinois and will NOT be valid! If you want to get your Concealed Carry permit as an Illinois resident, you MUST take a state approved course. Check with us for Concealed Carry classes we offer at our Range. For information email: member@isra.org, or call our office at 815-635-3198. Concealed Carry holder able to protect himself. At 1:17am on
December 17, 2023, two armed criminals tried to attack an armed concealed carry holder. The permit holder was wounded, one of the perpetrators was shot dead, and the other was wounded. This takes one armed criminal off the streets permanently and hopefully puts the other attacker in jail for a while. As I often point out: 1. When you are attacked you are your own first responder. No one else is going to help you. 2. Attacks by two or more people
now occur more than 50% of the time. Hand to hand combat is for the movies, not real life. The FOID card battle. This time of year, a lot of us think back and recall events that happened over our lifetime. Some of those good and some of those bad. One event I recall is when the legislature passed the Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. It was 1968. My father
and I had just come in from the farm and we were going to eat lunch in the local restaurant. The restaurant we were in had a radio. Everyone came in to listen to the noon news and the farm markets. The restaurant was filled with mostly farmers in those days. On the news we heard about the Illinois State Legislature passing something called the FOID card. We had never heard of it and by the
time we found out about it, it was too late anyway. Our state representative only lived 6 miles from us, and we knew him well. The next day we went to see him and asked about the FOID card. He was a conservative democrat and told us he didn’t like the idea, but Mayor Richard J. Daley was forcing the bill through the state legislature and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. In
those days, there were 600 or 700 Sportsman’s Clubs in Illinois, and they were mostly affiliated with the Illinois Wildlife Federation (IWF). The IWF was about wildlife conservation, upland game hunting, and sometimes trap shooting. While they opposed the FOID card there was nothing they could do to stop it. They were not a political organization, and neither was the ISRA. The ISRA was a
target shooting and firearm training organization, and while opposed to the FOID card, there was nothing the ISRA could do to stop it. Originally the FOID card required the registration of individual firearms. The ISRA fought hard against that idea and was finally able to change the legislation to register individual firearm owners, rather than individual firearms. While this outrages many people, one must remember this was 1968. No one was prepared or had seen this type of legislation
before. In 1968, the NRA was a marksmanship and training organization. It would not be till 1974, that the lobbying arm of the NRA, the Institute for Legislation Action, was formed. About the same time, the ISRA began formally lobbying the state legislature. Opposing Mayor Daley and his legislation was truly a “David and Goliath” contest. The problem was that “David” didn’t
have a slingshot or rock to put in it, so the law passed. My dad and I dutifully applied for our FOID cards and in the beginning, the law seemed to be innocuous and only a minor inconvenience. But like all government laws and regulations, they have become stricter and stricter over time and interfered more and more
with the rights of law-abiding citizens. From the beginning, I was insulted by the FOID card law and the way the state of Illinois was treating law-abiding gun owners. I was determined to fight back. That was over 55 years ago, and I’ve been fighting ever since. It seems that we may be coming to the end of this fight. It is certainly in the realm of possibilities that the FOID card act
could be struck down in the next two or three years, due to rulings in recent court cases. This of course will all depend on how the 2024 election goes. After 55 plus years of fighting, I hope to see this egregious law destroyed. Even if the FOID law is overturned, the fight will go on. Our 2nd Amendment rights will continue to be attacked in different ways. There are those in this
country that hate the Constitution, the freedoms we enjoy and the keystone of those freedoms in the 2nd Amendment. We will have to fight on, and we will fight on. THIS FIGHT WILL NEVER BE OVER!! THIS IS WHY WE NEED PEOPLE TO JOIN THE ISRA. If you are not an ISRA member, please join today Colt CZ Group SE acquires Czech ammunition manufacturer Sellier & Bellot. Colt CZ announces they are acquiring Sellier & Bellot, a
traditional Czech ammunition manufacturer, welcoming one of the oldest and most important producers of small caliber ammunition to the Colt CZ Group. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in various countries and is expected to close in the first half of 2024. Sellier & Bellot ranks among the oldest engineering companies in the Czech Republic and worldwide since 1825. The
company’s product line includes a wide range of hunting and sporting ammunition and components for pistols and revolvers, rifles, shotguns and rimfire cartridges. Sellier & Bellot is also a major supplier of small caliber ammunition to military and law enforcement customers worldwide. Colt’s subsidiary, Magtech Ammunition will serve as the dedicated sales entity for Sellier &
Bellot products in the United States. Need a last-minute holiday gift idea for your relatives or friends? Encourage your family members or friends to join the ISRA, and we’ll all benefit. By doing so, you help us fight the battles before all gun owners. To carry on this fight, we need more and more new people to become members of the ISRA. You AND your new member will be entered into the drawing, for every new member you sign up! Please click
here to print-off this form and have it postmarked by Dec. 31, 2023. Or call the office at 815-635-3198, and we will mail the form to you. If you can recruit more than one member, please feel free to make copies of this form. Your help is needed and very much appreciated! Tidbits
December 21, 1945 – General George
Patton dies. General Patton died after being in a minor car accident. Even though the accident was minor he suffered a broken neck. There have always been questions about Patton’s death. He was distrustful of Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union. Winston Churchill was trying to make deals with the Soviet Union. In the end, General Patton was correct in his suspicions. December 21, 1988 – Pam Am Flight 103 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland killing 270 people. Eventually, Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing. The United States and the United Nations lifted sanctions against Libya. Only after that, did Libya agree to pay each victim’s family approximately 8 million dollars. Pan American Airways went bankrupt three years later. December 22, 1864 – General William T. Sherman gives President Abraham Lincoln a Christmas gift, “the city of Savannah, Georgia”. Savannah was one of the last major ports that remained open to the confederacy to receive supplies. The capture of Savannah was another death knell for the Confederacy. December 23,
1620 – Construction begins on the Plymouth settlement. The Pilgrims were facing a hard winter after the 66-day voyage to the New World. The winters of 1620 and 1621 were extremely harsh. By the 1640’s, Plymouth had grown from its original colonists of 102 to over 3,000 people. December 24, 1814 – The War of 1812 ends. The most significate
part of this war actually occurred, after the war was over. The Peace Treaty was signed on December 24, 1814, between the United States and Great Britain, but the word of the peace treaty did not reach the United States for several weeks. The most significate battle of the war occurred on January 8, 1815, when the British Army attacked New Orleans. The war was technically over by that time. The inferior American forces, under the command of General Andrew Jackson decimated the attacking British Army. The victory was so lopsided, that it sent a message to European powers to stay out of the New World. The victory eventually led to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823. December 25, 0006 – Christ is born. Merry Christmas to
everyone! December 25, 1776 – George Washington wins the Battle of Trenton. George Washington, in a brilliant tactical move, slipped across the Delaware River and defeats Hessian Mercenaries, giving a much-needed victory to the American cause. The Hessian commander received a note from a spy telling him that Washington and his troops were on their
way. The Hessian commander was enjoying a Christmas Eve Party and never read the note. The commander was killed, and the note was found in his pocket. December 27, 1932 – Radio City Music Hall opens. Radio City Music Hall was designed to be an entertainment palace for ordinary people. Since 1932, more than 300 million people have attended shows there. The idea for Radio
City Music Hall came from John D. Rockefeller. The Illinois State Rifle Association is the home of marksmanship in Illinois At the Range
Click here to view the entire calendar. All
classes and events are open to the public & all range members, unless otherwise noted. Air Gun Leagues are now open for registration You are not required to register for both leagues. Air Pistol League: Clubhouse/Indoor Range, Tue., Dec. 26, 5pm – 8pm Air Rifle League: Clubhouse/Indoor Range, Wed., Dec. 27, 11am – 3pm Our first big event of the year is Winter Wars on the 13th of January, held at the ISRA Range. Registration is from 8 am – 9 am, the match begins at 9 am and runs until 5 pm. This is a
fun time to commemorate the winter battles and the rifles used in them. These would include, but not limited to 1903 and1903-A3 Springfield Rifles, 1917 Enfield, M1, M1 Carbine and M1As. Non-US Rifles would include Enfield SMLE Rifles, SVT-38/40, SA80, Mosin Nagant, SKS Rifles, AK Rifles, KAR98K, and other miscellaneous rifles. This is the perfect time to dig those rifles out of the closet and go have some fun with them. There will be hot coffee and chili for all. Come out and enjoy the
fun. The entry fee is $25 for two battles. Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2023. Walk-ins are welcome. Entries after December 31st will be $30. Please bring 40 rounds of ammunition per battle with you. For more information,
email wnbilotta@comcast.net. Late registration is at 8-8:30 am., Safety briefing starts at 8:45 am., First shot is at 9:00 am. You must be present for the 8:45 am safety briefing to fire the match! The ISRA Range is located at 1589 N 7000w Rd, Bonfield, IL 60913. The ISRA Range offers great classes and leagues for shooting enthusiasts! Interested in joining a league? Just show up 15 - 30 minutes early. Range memberships are available. A day at the ISRA Range is
always a great day! Thank you
for being a member! Upcoming Gun Shows While the gun show
information shown in this email is believed to be accurate –
sometimes changes occur. This is provided for informational purposes only. Jan 13 Davenport Gun & Knife Show, Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, Davenport Jan 14 Kane County Sportsman’s
Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles Jan 20 – 21 Dubuque Gun & Knife Show, Grand River Conference Ctr., Dubuque Jan 20 – 21 Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show, Kankakee Co. Fairgrounds Jan 27 – 28 Sauk Trail Gun Show, Bureau County Fairgrounds,
Princeton Feb 10 – 11 The Quad Cities Gun Show, QCCA Expo Center, Rock Island Feb 11 Kane County Sportsman’s Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles Feb 17 – 18 Central Illinois Gun Collectors Assoc., Sangamon County Fairgrounds, New Berlin,
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