Thursday Bulletin – May 8, 2025
Executive Director's Message Richard Pearson |
Don't Miss This Opportunity To Hear Lieutenant Colonel David Grossman Speak at IGOLD, May 14, 2025 Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is an internationally recognized scholar, author, soldier, and speaker who is one
of the world’s foremost experts in the field of human aggression and the roots of violence and violent crime. A West Point psychology professor, Professor of Military Science, and an Army Ranger, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is also the author or co-author of five non-fiction and four fiction books and has co-authored a New York Times best-selling book with Glenn Beck. His books sell
world-wide, translated into numerous languages, and have been on required reading lists for the FBI academy, the US Marine Corps Commandant’s Required Reading List and other academies and colleges. He has presented papers before the national conventions of the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American
Academy of Pediatrics, and to over 100 different colleges and universities world wide, and has trained educators and law enforcement professionals, at the federal, state and regional level, in all 50 states and over a dozen foreign nations. Lt. Col. Grossman was also called to the White House to serve on President Trump’s Round Table on Violent Video Games, was an expert witness in numerous cases and has also testified before Congress on three occasions...and this is just a small portion
of his impressive, extensive resume. Needless to say, Lt. Col. Grossman's depth of knowledge is not only vast, but extremely relevant to the ongoing fight for our Second Amendment rights. His timely presentations are not to be missed! Make sure you save the date to hear him speak at this year's IGOLD on May 14, 2025 – you'll be glad you
did! Display Tables Available at IGOLD Display tables will be available at the Bank of Springfield Convention Center during IGOLD for $100.00 each. If you or your company are interested or need more information, please call the ISRA
headquarters at 815-635-3198. We will be glad to sign you up and we take credit cards for your convenience. Buy 2025 IGOLD Raffle Tickets Online! CLICK
HERE I want to thank all of those who are entering or donating to the 2025 IGOLD Raffle. Your contributions are critical to protecting the Second Amendment in Illinois. Those who have email will have their raffle tickets emailed to them. Since you are reading this online, I’m sure this includes you. Those who don’t
have email will receive them by USPS snail mail. Emailing your tickets to you is faster, more efficient, and less expensive. Every penny we save is one more penny to help us in our epic fight to protect the Second Amendment. Be sure to watch your email. I hope to see you on Wednesday May 14th at the Bank of Springfield Convention Center Doors open at 10:30 am. I am really excited to hear Col. Grossman speak. Thank you, again, for supporting the ISRA! Make sure to get your tickets in ASAP and receive your commemorative pin! New IGOLD Merchandise in the ISRA Online Store Come visit the ISRA Online Store to view our new line of IGOLD merchandise. We have new items added every week and, if you have
something particular you would like to see available, let us know! We would love to hear your ideas and appreciate your input! Email them to us at: member@isra.org Visit the ISRA Online Store HERE Litigation Update The State of Illinois' brief on the PiCA lawsuit has been filed. We will be
answering with our brief soon. We will be monitoring any and all activity in these matters and will keep you apprised of any news. As always the Illinois State Rifle Association fights for you. Not a member? join today! Join the ISRA HERE. Donate to Legal Assistance HERE! Legislative Update This week, both the Illinois House and Senate are in session. We are always on alert for movement on legal matters. In the Illinois House, SB8, the so-called “Safe Storage Act” is being heard. This
is another attempt to put law-abiding gun owners in a legal “trick bag”. As always, we will keep you updated if we hear any news. You can follow along by clicking the ISRA
Legislation Page. This DOJ Supports Concealed-Carry The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a 29 page amicus brief supporting gun owners. The case is known as Wolford v Lopez which challenges
Hawaii’s restrictive concealed carry law. This is the first time in history this has happened. I must be dreaming. I bet Tums sales are spiking at the various anti-gun headquarters. New Hunting Opportunities United States Department of Interior Secretary Doug Bergum has announced the opening of 42 hunting opportunities across 87,000 acres. These new hunting opportunities are
not only good for sportsmen, but good for local economies in many areas of the country. The Fish and Wildlife Service expects to have the new schedule for those areas ready for the upcoming 2025-2026 hunting seasons. Spam Caution – Emails Touting “Zero” Work CCLs Please be on the lookout for emails which claim that, if you “act fast”, you'll be able to “download the nation's best Concealed Carry Certification
available today.” Firstly, these are not legal here. Secondly, we cannot vouch for this website so we highly suggest that you DO NOT click any of the links provided. If you ever have questions about CCLs, please call us and we will give you the pertinent information. Remember...if it looks too good to be true, it probably is! “I am frequently asked if the ISRA sells our membership list. The answer is absolutely not.” ~ Richard Pearson Free Digital Addition of “Midwest Outdoors Magazine” for ISRA Members Beginning in May, for all current members who receive our email, a
digital copy of “Midwest Outdoors Magazine” will be available to you for FREE! You will receive an email from them at the beginning of each month with a link to the online magazine. If you were to purchase this, it would be $9.95 per year, but this is just another of the benefits of being an ISRA member. You can always opt out if you care to do so. Register NOW for ISRA Academy CCL Renewals Do not miss out on the ISRA Academy featuring CCL renewals each month. Be sure
to pre-register by checking the ISRA Range Calendar for times/dates and clicking on the event of your choice for more info. Click here for ISRA Range or call the ISRA Offices for more info
at 815-635-3198. Education & Training @ ISRA Range, Bonfield, IL. May 10 (Saturday) Guardian Defensive Pistol Tactics 1&2 – Range 9
8:30pm-4pm May 18 (Sunday) Basic CCL Qualification – Range 9 1pm-5pm May 25 (Sunday) CCL Renewal & Qualification – Range 11, Clubhouse 9am-12pm May 25 (Sunday) CCL Class Day 2 – Range 11, Clubhouse 9am-5:30pm June 7 (Saturday) Range Tours 10am-11:30am & 1pm-2:30pm June 8 (Sunday) CCL Renewal & Qualification – Range 11, Clubhouse 1pm-4pm June 14 (Saturday) Holster Skills & Drills – Range 11 – 12pm-4pm June 28 (Saturday) CCL Renewal
& Qualification – Range 11, Clubhouse 1pm-4pm July 13 (Sunday) CCL Renewal & Qualification – Range 11, Clubhouse 1pm-4pm July 18 (Friday) NRA Basic Pistol – Range 1 & Clubhouse 8:30am-5pm July 19 (Saturday) NRA Basic Instructor Training (BIT)
– Clubhouse 8:30am-2:30pm July 20 (Sunday) NRA Basic Pistol Instructor – Range 1 & Clubhouse 8am-6pm July 26 (Saturday) CCL Renewal & Qualification – Range 11, Clubhouse 1pm-4pm August 10 (Sunday) CCL Renewal & Qualification – Range 11,
Clubhouse 1pm-4pm August 14 (Thursday) IDNR Hunter Safety Course – Clubhouse 5pm-8pm August 16 (Saturday) IDNR Hunter Safety Course – Clubhouse & Range 1 8am-4:30pm August 22 (Friday) NRA Basic Rifle Shooting Course – Range 11 & Clubhouse 8:30am-5pm August 23 (Saturday) NRA Basic Rifle Instructor – Range 11 & Clubhouse 8:30am-6pm August 23 (Saturday) ISRA Pistol Training 201 Course – Range 8 8am-5pm August 29-31 (Friday-Sunday) Rangemaster 3-Day Firearms Instructor Development & Certification Course September 2-5 (Thursday-Sunday) Massad Ayoob’s MAG-40 Course *** 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. 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. ISRA Members: The Spring 2025 Shooter will soon be on our website. The Illinois State Rifle Association is the home of marksmanship in Illinois Tidbits May 8, 1919 – A journalist from Melbourne, Australia, proposed that the first anniversary of the end of World War I be celebrated. The date would be November 11, 1918. Finally, the suggestion reached the ears of King George V of England, who made the official proclamation that the armistice would be celebrated on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. May 8, 1945 – The United States, Great Britain and the other Allied countries, except for the Soviet Union, celebrated victory in our day or, as it became known, VE Day. In the Soviet Union, VE Day is celebrated on May 9th because the Soviets were still fighting pockets of resistance. On May 9th, the Soviet Union lost 600 more soldiers, and that was the end of the war for them. May 10, 1869 – The Transcontinental Railroad is completed as the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads meet at Promontory Point, Utah. Beginning as early as 1832, legislators and others knew the importance of connecting the East and West coasts.
In 1853, Congress approved funds to explore and discover a route that connected to both coasts. In 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act that guaranteed public land grants and loans to the two railroads who they chose to build the Transcontinental Line. The two railroads were the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific. The Central Pacific started in Sacramento, California, and the Pacific started in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1866, the work on the two railroads
began. The Central Pacific used mostly Chinese workers while the Union Pacific used mostly Irish immigrants, who were Civil War veterans, to get the work done. On both ends of the railroad, the 12 hour working days were miserable. The completion of the railroad had
immediate impact. In the following years, railroad expansion was rapid, and so was economic growth in the western United States. Travel between the East Coast and the West Coast, which would have taken about 90 days by ship, was reduced to only 4 or 5 days. May 10, 1775 – Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold successfully attack and capture Fort Ticonderoga
in upstate New York. Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys played a significant role in the capture of the fort. One important aspect of the capture of the fort was the capture of the fort's cannon the next day at Crown Point on Lake Champlain. The next winter, General Henry Knox would transfer the cannon to George Washington, using sleighs and sledges to transport it through the snow. This would allow General Washington to drive the British from Boston the
following spring. May 11, 1934 – A great dust storm sweeps across the plains carrying dust as far east as Washington D.C. and out into the Atlantic Ocean. Many had recognized the potential for such a storm early in the 1900s. Some land investors from the east started selling their lands in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa in 1915 because they
recognized the potential for disaster. May 13, 1846 – President James K. Polk requests a declaration of war against Mexico in the dispute over Texas. Congress overwhelmingly approved the declaration of war. May 14, 1787
– The Constitutional Convention delegates begin to assemble in Philadelphia. It took several weeks for the delegates to arrive but, finally, on May 25th, a quorum was achieved. I wonder what will become of this effort? Good stuff, I think. May 14, 1804 – Lewis and Clark depart for the Northwest. It wouldn't be until November
8th, 1805, before the expedition reached the Pacific ocean. They paused there, on the banks of the Pacific, for the winter, and finally made it back to St. Louis on September 23rd, 1806, 2 ½ years later. 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. May 14 IGOLD, Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield. May 17 – May 18, 2025 Kankakee Gun & Sportsman's Show, Kankakee Co. Fairgrounds, Kankakee, IL. June 6 – June 8,
2025 Pecatonica Gun Show, Winnebago County Fairgrounds, Pecatonica, IL. Sept 20, 2025 National Civil War, Military, and Collector Arms Show, DuPage County Fairgrounds, Wheaton, IL. Sept 27 – Sept 28, 2025 Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club Gun & Knife Show, Chillicothe Sprotsmen's Club
House, Chillicothe, IL. Oct 12, 2025 Kane County Sportsman's Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, IL. Oct 25 – Oct 26, 2025 Sauk Trail Gun Show, Bureau County Fairgrounds, Princeton, IL. Nov 1, 2025 Bloomington
Gun & Knife Show, Interstate Center, Bloomington, IL. Nov 9, 2025 Kane County Sportsman's Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, IL. Nov 29 – Nov 30, 2025 Sauk Trail Gun Show, Bureau County Fairgrounds, Princeton, IL. Dec 6
– Dec 7, 2025 Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club Gun & Knife Show, Chillicothe Sprotsmen's Club House, Chillicothe, IL. Dec 14, 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! Northwest Suburban - 3rd Tues – Village Pizza and Pub Elgin - 2496 N Randall Rd, Elgin, IL 60123 ; 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
Livingston County – 4th Saturday of the month – South Post Guns, 104 Livingston Rd., Streator, IL; Social Hour 4:30pm – 5:30pm; Meeting 5:30pm – 6:30pm Stand
Strong &
Thank you for being a member! |
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