Richard Pearson

The Spring Session of the Illinois General Assembly ends at midnight on May 31, 2021.  That is slightly less than 11 days by the time you read this.  The pace keeps picking up the closer we get to the end of session.  From now on, committees will be on one hour posting notices.  Your ISRA lobbying team is here. 

Finally, at long last, we are seeing movement in the Bradley/Robinson v Kelly FOID card case.  A video conference hearing is set for today at 11:00am.  We will see where this leads us.  

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has dealt a blow to Red Flag laws.  This case is known as Caniglia v Storm.  A warrantless search was done in the home of Edward and Kim Caniglia of Cranston, Rhode Island.  The SCOTUS has ruled the warrantless search unconstitutional.  The vote was 9-0.  Edward Caniglia and Kim Caniglia have been married for 27 years.  They were quarreling and things heated up.  Edward went to the bedroom and retrieved an unloaded handgun, laid it on a dining room table and asked his wife to shoot him and get it over with.  Mr. Caniglia said it was a dramatic gesture.  Kim Caniglia knew the gun was unloaded.  The argument continued and Mrs. Caniglia left the house and stayed in a hotel overnight.  In the morning, his wife tried to call him but got no answer.  She called the police to do a wellness check.  They found Mr. Caniglia sitting on his front porch.  The police talked Mr. Caniglia into going to the hospital to get evaluated.  He said he would do it providing the police would not take his firearms.  The police told him they would not do that.  As soon as the ambulance left, the police entered his home and did exactly what they said they would not do and seized his firearms.   

In 1973, in a case known as Cady v Dombrowski, the SCOTUS made an exception to the Fourth Amendment for community caretaking.  The Cady case dealt with searching the trunk of a car after it had been wrecked and subsequently towed.  The SCOTUS held that searching a person’s home is far different than searching a person’s car after an accident.  This ruling will have bearing on a lot of cases.  There will be some problems ahead for Red Flag laws.

Another attempt to hold firearm manufacturers responsible for the criminal acts of others has failed.  In a suit funded by the Brady Campaign on behalf of Carlos Travieso Jr, tried to sue Glock for injuries he received when another teenager shot him.  The other teenager found the pistol in a car and thought the firearm was empty because the magazine was not in the gun.  There was one round in the chamber.  The teenager pulled the trigger and discharged the firearm striking Carlos Travieso Jr, paralyzing him.  The suit alleged the Glock did not have an empty chamber indicator which it does.  The suit also claimed the firearm lacked other safety devices when, in fact, it has three other safety devices.  Of course, there was no mention of the fact that you are not supposed to point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger for no reason.  The case was dismissed.  This case shows the importance of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

After what seems to have been an incredibly long winter, warm weather has arrived and with it the outdoor shooting season.  I always encourage firearm owners to get involved in a local league or outdoor class although I know the cost and scarcity of ammunition is a problem.  My weekly ammunition quest yielded, .22 long rifle, .380 and 38 special.  There was 5.56mm and .308 on the shelves as well as some popular hunting rounds but it was spotty.  Still, there was a little more than last week.

Spring also brings out old friend Massad Ayoob back to the ISRA Range in Bonfield.  This year Massad’s  MAG-40 class will be held on June 10, 11, 12 and 13.  I believe this is Massad’s  25th year of teaching at the ISRA Range.  If you are an ISRA member, there is a 10% discount on the tuition.  Every gun owner can benefit from this class.  If you have an ICCL or you want to be a Concealed Carry Instructor you should absolutely take this class.  This only happens once a year at the ISRA Range.  If you are interested in this class, email Andy Kemp at andy1911@imaxmail.net

Tidbits:
May 20, 1870 - Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a patent for waist overalls, as the original blue jeans were known.  Reno, Nevada tailor Jacob Davis had an idea about putting metal Rivets on pocket openings but did not have the money to make them.  He wrote Levi Strauss a letter explaining his idea.  Strauss liked the idea.  By 1920, they were the bestselling work pants in the United States.

May 20, 1927 - Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island for the first solo nonstop flight to Europe.  Lindbergh flew the 3610-mile trip in 33.5 hours.  He averaged just under 108 miles per hour.

May 21 1908 - Connecticut becomes the first state to set speed limits for motor cars.  The limit was
12 miles an hour in town and 15 miles an hour in the country.  The very first speed limits were set in New Amsterdam in 1652.  The law read no wagons, carts, or sleighs shall be run, rode or driven at a gallop.  The fine was two Flemish pounds or about $150 in today’s money.

May 22, 1843 - The first pioneers leave Elm Grove, Missouri, for Oregon.  The group consisted of about
1000 people and 5000 oxen to pull the wagons.

May 23, 1844 - Samuel Morse, a portrait painter, demonstrates the telegram.  The impetus for the telegraph was the death of Samuel Morse’s wife.  Morse was from Connecticut but was commissioned to paint a portrait of Layette in Washington DC.  Morse’s wife fell ill and by the time he got the letter and returned home, her funeral was already over.  He determined to find a faster way to communicate.

May 25, 1935 - Babe Ruth hits his last home run, number 714.  The location was Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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

Saturday, May 22, 2021
Range Safety Officer Course

Sunday, May 23, 2021
ISRA Bullseye Match & Combat Match
Marksmanship League
3 Hour IL CCW Certification Renewal

Tuesday, May 25 & June 1, 2021
Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League

Wednesday, May 26 & June 2, 2021
ISRA Benchrest League
F-Class Rifle League
Combat Paper & Steel League

Saturday, May 29, 2021
The Well Armed Woman

Sunday, May 30, 2021
Handgun Drills
Intro Shotgun

Thursday, June 3 & 10, 2021
ISRA Smallbore Prone/F-Class League

Thursday, May 10 – Sunday, May 13, 2021
Massad Ayoob MAG-40 Class

Gun & Trade Shows

Boot City Gun Show – Terre Haute, IN
Boot City Opry
Dates: May 21 & 22, 2021
Hours: Friday: 12:00-7:00
             Saturday: 9:00-5:00
Admission: $5.00

Crown Point Gun Show – Crown Point, IN
Lake County Fairgrounds
Dates: May 22 & 23, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

Kankakee Gun & Sportsman’s Show – Kankakee IL
Kankakee County Fairgrounds
Dates: May 22 & 23, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00
             Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00

Sandwich Sportsman’s Club Swap Meet – Sandwich IL
Sandwich Sportsman Club
Date: May 23, 2021
Hours: Sunday: 8:00-3:00
Admission: $3.00

Diamond Gun & Sportsman’s Show – Diamond IL
Diamond Banquet Hall
Date: June 6, 2021
Hours: Sunday: 9:00-4:00
Admission: $5.00

Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club Gun & Knife Show – Chillicothe IL
Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club
Dates: June 12 & 13, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 8:30-5:00
             Sunday: 8:30-3:00
Admission: $3.00
    






















 



























































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