Executive Directors Message
Richard Pearson

The National Rifle and Pistol Matches are being held in two locations this year, Camp Perry, Ohio, and Camp Atterbury, Indiana.  Our senior Smallbore Team, the ISRA Sunshine Boys, was first among State Associations at Atterbury, Indiana.  This year, all teams were lumped together; the civilian amateur teams were in with the professional pistol teams.  The ISRA had six teams which finished in the middle of the pack.  All in all, good considering how the teams were all together. 

We had several shooters who did well.  The Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge is an award that takes a while to get.  To receive this award, a shooter hast to be in the top 10% of shooters in several competitions.  Those competitions require the use of ball ammunition and iron sights.  The shooter earns points in each competition if they are on top.  There is a similar badge for rifle shooters.  It is work to get one of these badges.  We had one ISRA shooter achieve his Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge this year. 

There are Excellence in Competition Badges (EIC) for both .22 rimfire pistol and center fire pistol.  We had three shooters qualify for these awards.   We also had four shooters make the President’s 100 Match.  Well done! 

The ISRA Junior Air Rifle and Smallbore teams are now at Camp Perry, Ohio.  No reports yet.   If you want to learn to be a good or even great shot, the ISRA is the place for you!

On the legal front, the Second Amendment Foundation, Illinois State Rifle Association and several other state organizations have filed an Amicus Brief in the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association lawsuit against the State of New York.  New York law requires a person must have a “proper cause” to get a concealed carry permit.  New York is a May issue State.  The “proper cause” wording of course never meets the bureaucratic standard and is simply a way to deny New York Concealed Carry Permits.  The name of the case is: New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc., v. Kevin P. Bruen, in his Official Capacity as Superintendent of the New York State Police, et al.  The Illinois State Rifle Association is proud to support the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association in this most important Second Amendment case.  At this time, there is no news regarding other ISRA cases.

The United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) has announced it has topped 600,000 members that carry their insurance.  If you buy their insurance through one of the special offers extended to ISRA members, you will get 15% off.  Make sure to identify yourself as an ISRA member so you can receive this discount.  My wife and I both carry their insurance.  With what is going on in the United States, it is a good thing to have. 

Ammo Quest: Online ammo prices dropped a penny or two.  I went to ammo.com and found steel case 9mm for 41 cents a round and brass cased reloadable for 45 cents a round.  All 9mm was listed as in stock.  More reports are coming from members about finding ammo cheaper at local retailers.  I can’t say this is true everywhere but if you could buy local, I would do that.  Ammo.com also had .223 steel case for 41 cents a round.  Brass cased reloadable ammunition was still at 61 cents a round.  Brass cased 5.55mm is still expensive online, running from 83 cents a round and up.  Once again, local retailers in some areas are beating that price.

We have been getting reports that background checks have slowed down again.  I checked with the Illinois State Police and they are updating their software in several systems which has slowed things down.  The system should be back to normal very soon.

For those looking to advance their pistol training, Midwest Training Group (MTG) will be holding an Advanced Tactical Pistol Class at our Range on August 28 & 29.   Designed for the advanced student, this program addresses the tactical matters and concerns that accompany defensive shooting along with very advanced skill sets.  For more information on this class, contact: andy1911@imaxmail.net.

Tidbits:
July 22, 1933 - American pilot Wiley Post lands at Bennett Field in New York after flying around the world solo.  The flight included numerous landings but was completed in 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes.  In August 1935, Post and his friend Will Rogers attempted to fly across the North Pole to the U.S.S.R. but crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska, killing both men.

July 22, 1934 - The notorious bank robber and murderer John Dillinger was gunned down in front of Chicago’s Biograph Theater.  Federal agents were after Dillinger and finally found an informer, Ana Cumpanas, a madam from Gary, Indiana.  Cumpanas, a Romanian immigrant, was going to be deported for low moral character but was willing to rat out Dillinger in exchange for staying in the U.S.  She told the agents she and Dillinger were going to the movies and she would wear an orange dress to easily identify herself and Dillinger.  The lights of the theater marquee turned the dress from orange to red and she forever became known as the “The Lady in Red”.  She was pardoned and stayed in the U.S.
Dillinger portrayed himself as a modern Rodin Hood but J. Edgar Hoover had other ideas.  Many people had lost their savings in banks during the Great Depression and had a “The Banks robbed us so it is nice to see someone rob them” attitude.  People would not turn in Dillinger.  He actually killed three federal agents and seven policemen so the feds really wanted him.  They got him on July 22, 1934.

July 23, 1885 - General Ulysses S. Grant dies of throat cancer.  Grant died broke, swindled out of his money by an unscrupulous partner.  Knowing he was dying, Grant desperately wrote his memoirs, eventually becoming so weak he hired a stenographer because he could no longer write.  Finally, the tumor on his neck grew to the size of a small watermelon.  Grant’s longtime friend Mark Twain came to his aid and not only published his book but pre-sold 100,000 copies.  In one year, Grant had written 366,000 words.  No matter what misfortunes happened to Grant, he soldiered on.  On July 16, 1885, he completed his book.  Seven days later he died knowing that while he was broke, the proceeds of his book would save his family, especially his beloved wife Julia.  When Grant died, he had only $80.  His book was a huge success, selling 300,000 copies and yielding royalties of $450,000, or about $12,000,000 in today’s money.

July 5, 1832 - The first recorded railroad accident occurs near Quincy, Massachusetts, killing one person and injuring three other people.  A railcar went over a 34-foot cliff.  Despite this, America kept building railroads.  By the Civil War, the United States had 30,000 miles of track and 250,000 miles of track by 1916, enough to go to the moon.

July 25, 1898 - The United States invades Puerto Rico during the Spanish American War, seizing the island from Spain.  On July 24, 1952, Congress approved the Puerto Rican constitution. making the Island an autonomous U.S. Commonwealth.

July 26, 1775 - The United States Post Office is established.  Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General.  To offset costs, the first postage stamps were issued in 1847.  The Post office delivers 212 billion pieces of mail a year.  Despite computers, the Post Office delivers the mail in some places using mules.  Mules are much more reliable and smarter than computers.

July 26, 1908 – The Bureau of Investigation is established.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wasn’t founded until 1935.  The famed J. Edgar Hoover served from 1924 until 1972.

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

Sunday, July 25, 2021
ISRA Bullseye Match
Handgun Drills
Glock Summer League
Skill Builder

Monday, July 26 & August 2, 2021
ISRA Military Benchrest Rifle League
ISRA Scout Rifle League

Tuesday, July 27 & August 3, 2021
Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League

Wednesday, July 28 & August 4, 2021
ISRA Benchrest League
F-Class Rifle League
Combat Paper & Steel League

Thursday, July 29 & August 5, 2021
ISRA Smallbore Prone/F-Class League

Saturday, July 31, 2021
The Well Armed Woman

Sunday, August 1, 2021
ISRA Combat Pistol/3 Gun League
ISRA Black Powder League
Paper & Steel Shotgun League

Saturday, August 7, 2021
Range Work Day
Project Appleseed
Stixx & Steel

Sunday, August 8, 2021
761^st Gun Club Defensive Pistol I
Tactical Training

Gun & Trade Shows

Bloomington Gun & Knife Show – Bloomington, IL
Interstate Center
Dates: July 24 & 25, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $6.00

Boot City Gun Show – Terre Haute, IN
Boot City Opry
Dates: August 13 & 14, 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: August 21 & 22, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00

Belleville Gun & Knife Show – Belleville, IL
Belleville Fairgrounds
Dates: August 28 & 29, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
             Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $6.00
    







































    















    
































 



























































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