Thursday Bulletin – December 12, 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 The ISRA lawsuit – Harrel v Raoul, has been combined with the National Shooting Sports Foundation – and is now known as Barnett v Raoul – and it’s currently before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. On December 5th, the Seventh Circuit ruled in favor of the State of Illinois and extended the stay that was issued by Federal District Court Judge Stephen McGlynn. The stay will be in effect until the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals hears the case and makes a decision. This means the PICA is still fully in effect and we are at the mercy of the Seventh Circuit. Presently, we have not received a briefing schedule. And while we hope to move this case along as quickly as possible, the
reality is that it could be another year or so. But whatever the time frame – we will not stop working to advance our position, even if that means petitioning the Supreme Court of the United States. Rest assured, the ISRA will not back down until our 2nd Amendment rights are restored in Illinois – no matter how much it costs or how much time it takes. We won’t back down. A Bum Takes A Bullet To The Bum Rockford, Illinois - On November 25, Nathaniel Brooks, age 32, began beating, punching and slapping a sixty-year-old woman. This was
a domestic disturbance of some sort. Despite warnings from an elderly gentleman in the house, Brooks would not stop physically assaulting the woman. The older man retrieved his pistol and called 911. As the assault continued, the elderly gentleman shot Brooks in the butt, putting a stop to his abuse. Mr. Brooks is now residing in the Winnebago County jail, lucky that it was just his pride that took a hit that day. I am sure when everyone has to stand when the judge
enters the courtroom, Mr. Brooks will be more than happy to do so. Sometimes The Bear Gets Even In Virginia, a bear hunter drove his quarry up a tree. Deciding to shoot the
bear out of the tree, which he did, he ended up in a bit of a quandary. His problem was he had stood too close to the tree and, when he shot the bear, the bear fell on him. The hunter ended up in the hospital in serious, but stable, condition, but I cannot imagine how he is going to explain this wild hunting story to his buddies. 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 There is still time to enter the “12 Days Of
Christmas” Raffle! We will be giving away 12 custom engraved Red Rider BB guns. 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. Visit this link, 12
Days Of Christmas Raffle Page , to view the beautiful engraving on this wonderful, custom BB gun. Please call the ISRA office to purchase tickets @ 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
– 1/06/2025 (Saturday) 9:00am – 12:00pm / Range 11 & Clubhouse – Register HERE 2/1/2025 (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 13, 1937 – The rape of Nanking, China, by the Japanese becomes public knowledge. The United States still sleeps, thinking that wars in Europe and Asia,and any other part of the world, are none of our business. But the world had changed and the rape of Nanking, then the capitol of China, serves as a wake-up call to many. President Franklin Roosevelt had been fighting against isolationism in the United States. Still, it was a popular belief that the Pacific and Atlantic oceans would protect us. But the world had changed and Americans were not aware or did not want to be aware of outside threats. At this time, in 1941, America was scrambling, trying to deal with the attack
on Pearl Harbor. There was a huge problem. While we had a draft, over 2/3 of the draftees had never fired a rifle. The United States government called on the NRA to develop a curriculum for volunteer instructors to aid in training recruits and draftees before they entered military service. I am sorry to say, we are once again in the same predicament. Not nearly
enough of our young people are trained to use firearms. You need to act now to enroll your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and the kids in your neighborhood in some sort of firearms grading program. I fear a storm is coming. If and when that storm comes, we will all be better off if everyone is prepared. And, if nothing happens but you are still prepared, you have lost nothing and gained a skill. December 14, 1799 – George Washington dies at the age of 67. George Washington had been healthy for the majority of his life. Unfortunately, he probably contracted the flu or pneumonia but, at the time, the main treatment for such ailments was “bleeding”. This practice only made him weaker. Had there been other more effective treatments at the time, Washington
might have lived many more years. December 15, 1791 – The Bill of Rights is ratified and becomes a permanent part of the United States Constitution. This is the day that the Second Amendment was memorialized within the Constitution of the United States. The Second Amendment is
what makes the United States different from every other country...stronger, better and more prepared. There are those who want to tear the Second Amendment apart within state legislatures and Congress. These people are totally wrong and we must continue to fight them to protect our rights. December 15, 1880 – Sioux holy man,
Sitting Bull, is killed by Indian police at Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota. In 1890, a spiritual revival movement among Native Americans, called the “Ghost Dance”, began to gain traction. Authorities, fearing a Native American uprising, decided to arrest Sitting Bull. They wrongly believed that Sitting Bull was behind the movement, but he was not. They roused Sitting Bull from his bed at 6am, causing an immediate suspicious crowd of fellow Native Americans to gather. Someone fired a shot and hit one of the Indian police. The police then shot Sitting Bull, killing him instantly. Fighting ensued and 12 Native Americans were killed. Two weeks later, the U.S. Army attempted to suppress the Ghost Dance movement by massacring a band of Sioux Indians at Wounded
Knee, December 16, 1620 – The pilgrims land on Cape Cod. Despite no easily accessible landing sites within the Hudson River and with Winter fast approaching, the pilgrims decided to land immediately. Just to set the record straight, at that time they did not step out of their boat onto Plymouth Rock. That is a
myth. Although there is a rock there today with “1620” carved on it, which I stood on, it is really just a tourist attraction. December 16, 1773 – British Parliament has passed a bill called the Tea Act of 1773. The Tea Act actually reduced the taxes on tea and was designed to save
the East India Company and destroy it's competition. American colonists were not buying it, however. About 60 members of the Colonial Resistance, known as “The Sons of Liberty”, disguised themselves as Native Americans and boarded three East India tea ships to toss the cargo of tea overboard into the harbor. The cost of this act would be about $2 million in today's money. This act became known as the “Boston Tea Party”. December 16, 1944 – The Battle of the Bulge begins. Hitler made a desperate move to drive through the Ardens forest to eventually reach the port of Antwerp hoping to cut off Allied supplies on the Western Front. This would become the bloodiest battle of World War II. American troops had not been issued warm coats or Winter gear
of any kind. They marched in worn-out boots, which they would wrap with newspaper and cloth they would scavenge from abandoned or bombed out houses along the way. Many American soldiers froze to death. General George Patton pivoted and drove American forces north to the town of Bastone, which had been surrounded by German troops. They had traveled faster and farther then
anyone in the American Army ever had. Shortly after Christmas, the skies cleared, our troops were resupplied and the American Army began attacking the Germans. By January 25, 1945, the Battle of the Bulge was over and Germany was on it's way to defeat. December 17, 1903 – Orville and Wilbur Wright achieve the first airplane flight. They took off and landed their airplane four times. The first time, the flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. The longest flight was 852 feet and lasted 59 seconds. 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 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 16, 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 *****Meeting CANCELLED for December 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
Stand
Strong &
Thank you for being a member! |
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