ISRA Members: To view the Illinois Shooter - Spring 2026, click HERE.
Super Tidbit
Many people are under the impression that Thomas Jefferson single-handedly wrote the Declaration of Independence, but that is not true. Although Jefferson was assigned to write the Declaration of Independence, he had
help. The other members of the Committee of Five had a great deal of input.
Every word had to be "on point", every idea clear and correct. Thomas Jefferson and the other members of the Committee of Five produced several rough drafts with their ideas.
On June 28, 1776, they produced what is known as the Fair Copy and presented it to the Continental Congress. The Continental Congress
accepted, debated it and then tabled it for review and suggestions by the whole body. Some revisions were made. The Fair Copy was marked up and that copy was signed by the Secretary of the Continental Congress. That copy became the Declaration of Independence. The marked-up copy was probably destroyed after being recopied. Several copies of rough drafts of the Declaration have been , but no copies of the Fair Copy.
On July 2, 1776, Richard Henry Lee
of Virginia introduced what has become known as the Lee Resolution which severed all ties with Great Britain. The Lee Resolution was passed by 12 colonies. New York still could not vote for the Declaration. New York eventually voted for it as soon as word arrived.
John Adams, in a letter to his wife, Abigail, thought July 2nd would become the day that would be celebrated as Independence Day, but it didn't turn out that way. On July 4th, 1776, the
Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. By the evening of July 4, 1776, 200 copies of the Declaration were printed by John Dunlap, known as the Dunlap Broadsides ( a broadside is a large sheet of paper printed on only one side ).
On July 6, 1776, the “Pennsylvania Evening Gazette” printed the Declaration of Independence.
On July 8, 1776, Colonial John Nixon read the Declaration of
Independence to the citizens of Philadelphia.
On July 9, 1776, George Washington received a copy of the Declaration of Independence. He immediately ordered all brigades to be assembled and read the Declaration to his officers and men. Washington thought it would give the troops a better idea of what they were fighting for and raise their morale, which it
did.
Word
spread slowly to the colonies. As soon as it was read, citizens began tearing down statures of King
George. Game on King George!
Tidbits
June 25, 1876 – The Battle of Little Bighorn takes
place. Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer, commander of the Seventh Calvary, attacks more than 10,000 Native American warriors at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The only survivor of the Seventh Calvary was an Army horse named Comanche.
June 25, 1942 – Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower takes command of U.S. forces in Europe. Although Eisenhower had never seen combat, Army Chief or Staff, General George C.
Marshall chose him over nearly 400 other officers. He was chosen because of his ability to organize and his knowledge of military strategy. He also had a knack for diplomacy, which would come in very handy in dealing with Winston Churchill, French General Charles DeGaulle and British General Bernard Montgomery.
June 26, 1917 – The first United States troops, under command of General John J. Pershing, land in
France. The United States troops were not well enough equipped nor trained to handle war on the Western Front. General Pershing immediately instituted a four month training program. Finally, on October 21st, the first Americans enter combat. The first American to fire a shot in World War I was Corporal Robert Bralet of the Sixth Artillery when he fired a French “75” at the German lines a half-mile away.
June 27,
1844 – Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, is murdered in Carthage, Illinois. Smith lived in the town of Nauvoo, Illinois. Some members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints disagreed with certain church policies, such as polygamy and others, and began to publish a newspaper opposing those practices. When violence broke out between the two opposing sides, Smith called out the militia. Later, he was charged with treason by the
State of Illinois, was arrested and taken to the Carthage city jail. A mob stormed the jail and killed Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. Smith was succeeded by Brigham Young who, in 1847, led the Church of Latter-Day Saints followers to Salt Lake City, Utah.
June 27, 1950 – President Harry S. Truman orders troops into South Korea after reports of an invasion from the Communists in North
Korea.
June 28, 1914 – Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are assassinated in the Bosnian Capitol of Sarajevo. This touched off a chain of events that would ignite the powder keg in Europe that would become known as World War I.
June 29, 1941 – The Germans invade the town of Lvov in Eastern Ukraine.
They slaughtered thousands of Ukrainian citizens.
June 30, 1953 – The first Chevrolet Corvette rolls off the assembly line. Only 300 Corvettes were produced in 1953. The cost for one was $3490 and it would go from 0 to 60 in 11 or 12 seconds. Pretty wimpy for a sports car. While the Corvette started out with a bang in 1954, sales started to lag. Finally in 1955, General
Motors equipped the Corvette with a V8 engine and it became much more popular.
July 1, 1904 – The first ever Olympic Games was held in the United States in St. Louis, Missouri. It was also the first Olympic Games to offer gold, silver, and bronze medals.
July 1, 1863 – The Battle of Gettysburg begins. This battle would be the
turning point in the Civil War and would prove to be the furthest point at which the troops of the Confederacy would invade the North.
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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.
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.
Sept. 19 – Sept. 20, 2026 Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club Gun & Knife Show, Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club House, Chillicothe, IL.
Sept. 19, 2026
National Civil War, Military, and Collector Arms Show, DuPage County Fairgrounds, Wheaton, IL.
Oct. 3 - 4, 2026 Central Illinois Gun Collectors Association - New Berlin Gun Show, Sangamon County Fairgrounds, New Berlin, IL.
Oct. 24 - 25, 2026 Belleville Gun & Knife Show, Belle-Clair Fairgrounds, Belleville, IL.
Oct. 24 - 25, 2026 Sauk Trail Gun Collectors Gun Show, Bureau
County Fairgrounds, Princeton, IL.
Nov. 7 - 8, 2026 Bloomington Gun & Knife Show, Interstate Center, Bloomington, IL.
Nov. 28 - 29, 2026 Central Illinois Gun Collectors Association - New Berlin Gun Show, Sangamon County Fairgrounds, New Berlin, IL.
Nov. 28 - 29, 2026 Sauk Trail Gun Collectors Gun Show, Bureau County Fairgrounds, Princeton, IL.
Dec. 6 – Dec. 7, 2026
Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club Gun & Knife Show, Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club House, Chillicothe, IL.
Feb. 13 - 14, 2027 Central Illinois Gun Collectors Association - New Berlin Gun Show, Sangamon County Fairgrounds, New Berlin, IL.
ISRA Town Hall Monthly
Meetings
Come and meet fellow activists and learn the latest on protecting our Second Amendment Rights!
Livingston County – 4th Tuesday of the month – South Post Guns, 104 Livingston Rd., Streator, IL; Summer meetings are postponed until August.
Madison County – 1st Wednesday of the month – Piasa Armory,
625 Lewis and Clark Blvd., East Alton, IL; Doors open at 6:15pm; Meeting starts at 6:30pm
Northwest Suburban - 3rd Tuesday of the month – Algonquin/Dundee area - New Location - GAT Guns, 970 Dundee Ave, East Dundee, IL - Discounted Pistol Range from 4pm to 6pm, Social starts at 5:30pm, Meeting 7pm – 8pm, Catering fee
$20
South Suburban/Cook County - 2nd Thursday of the month – New Location: Papa Joe's Italian Restaurant, 14459 LaGrange Rd, Orland Park, IL; Doors open 6:00pm; Meeting 7pm – 8pm
Will County - 3rd Wednesday of the month – Silver Dollar Restaurant, 422 E. Mississippi Ave., Elwood, IL; Doors open 6pm; Meeting 7pm –
8pm
