Thursday Bulletin – December 5, 2024
Executive Director's Message Richard Pearson |
Legislative Update We are watching several bills that will probably come up in lame duck session. Tentative lame duck session will be between the 2nd and 8th of January at noon. The
new legislature will be seated January 8th at noon. This is an unusually long time for a lame duck session. There is plenty of mischief that can be done. Aside from our bills, which are listed below, my guess is they are going to try and do as much damage to President-Elect Trump's agenda as possible. HB5888 - Lost and Stolen Firearms HB5891 and SB3971 - Safe Storage of Firearms SB2633 “Karina's Law” - This is a push for gun
confiscation by the police. These bill numbers could change, so be careful about them. Litigation Update Eileen O'Neill Burke is the new Cook County States Attorney. Burke is a former judge and has vowed to crack down on legal firearms, including possession. This means she is going to go after the so-called assault weapons, which has been ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. District Court in Southern Illinois. Judge Stephen
McGlynn put a 30 day stay on his order to give the State of Illinois time to appeal the case. The case is now in the Seventh Circuit and has been appealed by the State. It appears that States Attorney Burke is going to go after the owners of these firearms even while the case is being appealed. Judge McGlynn's stay is set to expire on Sunday, December 8th. We will have to see what the Seventh Circuit does. I expect
some action in the next few days. It seems to me that States Attorney Burke has more than enough real criminals to go after, rather than going after law-abiding citizens who are made criminals by the Illinois State Legislature and Governor. Two-Tiered
Justice Hunter lied on his Federal firearms application request, known as a 4473. Each year, many normal Americans are prosecuted for this. Approximately 96% of them are sent to jail for lying on a Federal form. Not only did he lie on a Federal form, but he was also facing charges of income tax evasion and, of course, was a drug addict. This is a prime
example of a two-tiered justice system. One kind of justice for the rich and famous, and another kind for you and me. Americans Love Their Firearms The National Shooting Sports Foundation reports that background
checks for Black Friday week topped 613,000. There was an expectation that firearm sales would drop because of the re-election of Donald Trump for President. It did not turn out that way. Americans love their firearms and they love the ability to protect themselves, to hunt, and shoot recreationally. That sentiment, it seems, is not going away. Coyote Cautionary Tale In Colorado, a four-year-old girl was attacked by a coyote. The coyote seized the girl by the back of the neck/head and would have probably killed her if her father had not have been close enough to drive the coyote away. Fortunately, the coyote was not rabid, as it was easily driven away. I have never been a big fan of coyotes. They are an invasive species and they decimate wildlife of all kinds, including our native foxes. I have personally witnessed a pack of coyotes attack a young deer at 10am in the morning during the harvest. Illinois has way too many coyotes and
they continue to encroach into populated areas. They have even been spotted on the runways at O'Hare from time to time. I expect more young children to be targeted and attacked. Everyone needs to be reminded and aware of the dangers posed to children, pets, farm animals and other wildlife. Hunting is a
great way to thin the coyote population and January is a wonderful time to hunt coyotes. Unfortunately, some Democratic lawmakers along with a California group called Project Coyote, are working to eliminate hunting contests that help manage the coyote population. Important Announcement - IGOLD The 2025 IGOLD date has
been moved to May 14, 2025. This is due to a change in the legislative calendar. I am looking forward to seeing you there. “12 Days Of Christmas” Raffle The ISRA is offering the first ever “12 Days Of Christmas” Raffle. We will be giving away 12 custom engraved Red Rider BB guns, You can see what the gun looks like by going to our website. To be included in our “12 Days Of Christmas” raffle for one of these beautiful BB guns, you must call the ISRA office to buy your tickets. Please call the ISRA office @ 815-635-3198. Good luck! Great Gift Ideas! Looking for some great gift
ideas for Christmas? I have a couple recommendations for you! The Illinois State Rifle Association is offering gift certificates. You can buy these to put toward a training class offered by the ISRA. What a terrific stocking-stuffer! The second thing, of course, is
an ISRA Membership for the favorite people in your life. They will get all kinds of good information, discounts on ISRA classes, opportunities to learn and challenge themselves, and both you and they will be helping to secure the Second Amendment, all at the same time! It is a great deal! Reminder – Key Tag
Donation If you have not sent your donation in for the Key Tag mailing, please try to do so as soon as you can. Education & Training @ ISRA Range, Bonfield, IL. ISRA Academy is continuing to offer CCL renewals each month – 12/07/2024 (Saturday) 1:00pm – 4:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE 12/09/2024 (Monday) 9:00am – 12:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE 1/06/2025 (Saturday) 9:00am –
12:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE CCL Class – 12/13/2024 (Friday) 8:30am –
5:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE 12/14/2024 (Saturday) 8:30am – 5:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE NRA Basic Pistol Instructor Couse – 1/11/2025 (Saturday) 8:30am – 6:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE 1/12/2025 (Sunday) 8:30am – 6:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE Glock Armorer Course – 2/11/2025 (Tuesday) 8:00am – 5:00pm / Clubhouse - Register HERE Glock Operator Course – 2/12/2025 (Wednesday) & 2/13/2025 (Thursday) 8:00am – 5:00pm / Range 11 - Register HERE Pistol Coaching Class / Level 1 – 3/22/2025 (Saturday) 8:30am – 4:30pm / Range 1 & Clubhouse – Register HERE 3/23/2025 (Sunday) 8:30am – 4:30pm / Range 1 & Clubhouse – Register HERE Pistol Optics Principles with Brian Hill of “The Complete Combatant” – 4/12/2025 (Saturday) 9:00am – 6:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE 4/13/2025 (Sunday) 9:00am – 6:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE *** Please contact academy@isra.org for any training or class questions and check the ISRA Range Calendar HERE
for links to dates, times, descriptions of ISRA activities and events. The Illinois State Rifle Association is the home of marksmanship in Illinois Tidbits December 5, 1933 – The 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified. The 21st Amendment nullified the 18th Amendment and ended prohibition in the United States. Prohibition had caused a crime wave that we still suffer from today. While the intentions may have been good, the results were very bad. December 6, 1865 – The 13th Amendment is ratified ending slavery in the United States. The Civil War was a war of attrition. By promising to end slavery in the United States, the Union was able to make use of 200,000 black Americans who had volunteered in the United States military. Of those 200,000 black Americans, 16 received the Metal of
Honor. December 7, 1941 – The Japanese attacked the United States base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii at 7:55am. Three hundred and sixty Japanese war planes descended on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor destroying much of the US Pacific Fleet. At 7:02am, two soldiers manning the newly operational radar station detected a plane approaching Pearl Harbor. They reported it but were told to disregard it thinking that is was an unexpected B-17 coming in to land at Hickam Field. This was a mistake. The lack of readiness of the
United States can never be forgotten. We are, right now, in a similar state of non-readiness. Hopefully, President Trump will bring the United States Military back to it's high international standing and prevent World War III. As I have suggested often, everyone should be prepared for what is coming. Buy ammunition, go to the range, take a class and practice. The readiness of each individual citizen is a deterrent that other nations fear. It is better to be
feared than to be liked. This is not a neighborhood softball game we are playing. December 8, 1919 – Economist John Maynard Keynes causes economic chaos after attending the peace conference at the palace of Versailles, France. The draconian terms of the peace treaty against the
German people was horrendous. It caused the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazism. It was one of history's great mistakes that led directly to World War II and the chaotic conditions we are witnessing today. December 8, 1941 – The United States declares war on Japan. On the coast of the
United States, civilian defense forces were quickly organized. Gun owning citizens volunteered and were placed up and down the coast to watch for Nazi or Japanese submarines and saboteurs. Thousands of civilian gunners with their own rifles, ammunition, handguns, and shotguns took up their designated positions to proudly defend our country...something that the anti-gun crowd conveniently forgets today. December 10, 1905 – One of the most beautiful Christmas stories that I have ever read is published. “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry is published in the Sunday World Magazine. If you have not read it, take time to look it up and read it now. It really is what Christmas is all about. December 12, 1901 – Italian physicist, Guglielmo Marconi, succeeds in transmitting the first trans-Atlantic radio message. His critics said radio waves would not follow the curvature of the Earth. Marconi disagreed. That was
just 123 years ago. Think of the progress we have made since then! Just imagine what could be in our future as we continue to move forward! While the gun show information shown in this email is believed to be accurate, sometimes changes occur. This is provided for informational purposes only. If your club or organization is holding a gun show, event or class,
let us know the details, and we’d be happy to post it in our Weekly Range Schedule. Dec 7 – Dec 8 Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club Gun & Knife Show, Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club House, Chillicothe Dec 8 Kane County Gun Show - Kane County Fairgrounds Dec 14 – Dec15 Kankakee Gun & Sportsman's Show, Kankakee Co. Fairgrounds Dec 14 – Dec15 Peoria Gun & Knife Show – Exposition Gardens, Peoria
Dec 21 – Dec22 Crown Point Gun Show, Lake County
Fairgrounds, Crown Point, IN
Jan 4 – Jan 5, 2025 Decatur Gun & Knife Show, Decatur Conference Center & Hotel, Decatur, IL Jan 12, 2025 Kane County Sportsman's Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, IL Jan 25 – Jan 26, 2025 Sauk
Trail Gun Show, Bureau County Fairgrounds, Princeton, IL Feb 1 – Feb 2, 2025 Bloomington Gun & Knife Show, Interstate Center, Bloomington, IL Feb 8 – Feb 9, 2025 Quad Cities Gun Show, QCCA Expo Center, Rock Island, IL Feb
9, 2025 Kane County Sportsman's Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, IL Feb 15 – Feb 26, 2025 Central Illinois Gun Collectors New Berlin Gun Show, Sangamon County Fairgrounds, New Berlin, IL March 9, 2025 Kane County Sportsman's Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, IL March 29 – March 30, 2025 Sauk Trail Gun Show, Bureau County Fairgrounds, Princeton, IL April 13, 2025 Kane County Sportsman's Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, IL ISRA Grassroots
Monthly Meetings
Come and meet fellow activists and learn the latest on protecting our Second Amendment Rights! East Central Illinois - 3rd Thurs – Clifton Sportsman’s Club, 3106 US-45 #52, Clifton, IL; Doors open 6pm; Meeting 7pm – 8pm Northwest Suburban - 3rd Tues – Golden Corral,
1591 S. Randall Rd., Algonquin, IL; Doors open 6pm; Meeting 7pm – 8pm South Suburban/Cook County - 2nd Thurs – Kenootz Pizza, 4659 147th St., Midlothian, IL; Doors open 6:30pm; Meeting 7pm – 8pm Will County - 3rd Wed – Silver Dollar Restaurant, 422 E. Mississippi Ave., Elwood, IL; Doors open 6pm; Meeting 7pm – 8pm
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Strong &
Thank you for being a member! |
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