The Illinois General Assembly is on recess until April 30^th.  There are only 21 Legislative days until adjournment.  This means that things may happen quickly in Springfield so everyone will have to be on high alert.  I expect the bills that might move in Springfield are most likely shell bills.  Shell bills are bills that make small insignificant changes in some law and are then passed though Committee; they have the language stripped out of the bill and has completely new language put in the bill.  It is very possible that the bills we will be fighting will be completely different than the ones we have been talking about.  Please have both your State Representative’s and State Senator’s phone number ready.

The ISRA will be at the NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis on the 26^th, 27^th and 28^th of April.  We are in booth 1406.  Please stop by and see us.

In the last few decades, Illinois has been on the front lines fighting the anti-gun movement.  We have suffered blistering anti-gun attacks.  We have survived.  Creative ideas like the Gun Sanctuary County movement started here In Illinois.  Now we see that idea spreading to states that have been traditionally bulwarks of the Second Amendment.  The reason this phenomenon is happening is that many states that were seen as solid Second Amendment states are under full scale attack by the anti-gun left.  New Mexico is a great example.  Left wing liberals have moved into New Mexico and taken over the public offices. Wyoming has not passed a pro-gun control bill in several years.  The traditionally outdoor oriented states like Washington and Oregon are under attack also.

 Those of us who have been fighting for gun rights have a term called the Wyoming Stare.  It applies far beyond Wyoming.  If I were to talk to a person from Wyoming and tell them what we are facing in Illinois, it would be like I was speaking a foreign language to them.  They would say, “Well, it won’t happen where I live.”   It is becoming more apparent that it may no longer be true.  This is a real problem on the national level.  Gun owners in those states have to get organized and do it quickly.

Gun owners in states like Illinois have to change some seats, particularly in the U.S. Senate.  In 2020, in Illinois, we will have that chance.  Senator Richard Durbin will be up for election.  It is my guess that Durbin will run again but only serve a couple of years, and then pass the seat on to another liberal democrat so whoever gets the seat will be able to run as an incumbent. Gun owners need to fight this in a couple of ways, starting with the Primary Election.  Hopefully, a more conservative pro-gun democrat will run.  The next chance is in the General Elections.  We cannot control who the various parties put in to run.  It becomes a problem if an underfunded perfect candidate runs for election.  Gun owners have to vote, work and donate with their brains, not with their hearts. We must elect the best candidate that can win. Not necessarily the one that sounds the best.

The ISRA is offering some great training classes at our Range in the upcoming months.  In May, we will welcome Rob Pincus with his Fundamentals of Intuitive Defensive Handgun and Intuitive Defensive Carbine Courses.  We are also excited to have Midwest Training Group with their Intro to Defensive Pistol and Mastering the Revolver.  MTG will return in July with an Advanced Handgun Skills class.  Massad Ayoob will be presenting his MAG-40 class in June.  There are openings available in the above mentioned classes.  The ISRA offers a wide variety of classes for everyone, many taught with our highly skilled local instructors.  Check out our website Calendar for more information!

Some FOID cards will come up for renewal this year. It is very important you get your FOID renewed before it expires. If your FOID expires and you have a Concealed Carry License your CCL will be revoked until your FOID is renewed. Please renew at the first opportunity you have.  If you need assistance with renewing, please call the ISRA office at 815-635-3198  after 10 a.m.and ask for Mary.

  

Thanks for being a member.

Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar
For more information, visit www.isra.org

Saturday, April 20, 2019
IDNR Hunter Safety Class

Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Bench Rest League
Paper & Steel League

Saturday, April 27, 2019
Project Appleseed
The Well Armed Woman
ISRA Marksmanship League
ISRA Marksmanship .22 Challenge

Sunday, April 28, 2019
Project Appleseed

Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League

Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Bench Rest League
F-Class League

Saturday, May 4, 2019
Illinois Concealed Carry Renewal Class
Range Work Day
Handgun Training

Sunday, May 5, 2019
Black Powder League
3 Gun Combat Pistol League
Joe Brown Highpower League Neumann Match
Black Powder Confederation Rifle/Pistol

Illinois Gun & Trade Shows

National Civil War Show & Sale
Wheaton, IL – DuPage County Fairgrounds
Date: April 27, 2019
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00
Admission: $9.00

Collector Arms Dealers Association Gun Show
National Civil War Show & Sale
Wheaton, IL – DuPage County Fairgrounds
Date: April 27, 2019
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00
Admission: $9.00

Kankakee Gun Show
Kankakee, IL – Kankakee County Fairgrounds
Dates: April 27 & 28, 2019
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-4:00
             Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00

Premiere Firearms Auction
Rock Island, IL – Rock Island Auction Company
Dates: May 3-5, 2019

Crown Point Gun Show
Crown Point, IN – Lake County Fairgrounds
Dates: May 4-5, 2019
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

Belleville Gun & Knife Show
Belleville, IL – Belle-Clair Expo Center
Dates: May 4-5, 2019
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $6.00

Kane County Sportsman’s Show
St Charles, IL - Kane County Fairgrounds
Date: May 12, 2019
Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30
Admission: $5.00

New Berlin Gun Show
New Berlin, IL – Sangamon County Fairgrounds
Dates: May 18-19, 2019
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

McHenry County Gun Show
Woodstock, IL – McHenry County Fairgrounds
Date: May 19, 2019
Hours: Sunday: 8:00-1:00
Admission: $5.00
 

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