Happy 4th of July to ALL!
On June 14, 1775, the United States Army was formed. The early years were a struggle, to say the least. George Washington, his Generals, his staff, and the selfless sacrifice of the individual soldiers and their families, held the army together by sheer will. The Oneida Indians showed up at Valley Forge with 600 bushels of white corn (about 33,000 pounds) to feed the starving army. They had carried it on their backs for miles. It was a miracle.
Today we have come a very long way. Not only is the United States Army the best the world has ever seen, they are celebrating their 244th birthday. Happy Birthday U.S. Army and thanks to all who are serving or have served. We are proud of you!
June 14th was Flag Day. On that date in 1777, the Second Continental Congress officially adopted the flag of the United States. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed this day as Flag Day and in 1946, Flag Day was established by Congress. Show them you are a proud American and fly the United States flag.
On June 6, 1944 marked 74 years ago when WW2 ended. By that time on June 7th, the Longest Day was over and the beginning of the end for Adolf Hitler, and the Third Reich was underway. There were certainly difficult times ahead but the end was in sight. My father was a veteran of the Pacific Theater and had a couple of Purple Hearts to show for it. I spent a lot of time growing up in the Chatsworth, Illinois American Legion Hall. As I get older I now understand more of what I witnessed. The bond between these men was stronger than with many of their own family members. My dad and the men in his outfit would drive miles to see each other once or twice a year. I was educated by teachers who were veterans in either WWII or the Korean War. Those who had not served still lived through that time and understood what it was like to live with daily trepidation. Everyone in town would watch the Telegraph Office. The last thing anyone wanted to see was the Station Agent locking the door and leaving with a message. Mothers, fathers and wives peered through the curtains in hopes that the Station Agent would drive on by, but sometimes he did not go by.
An informal but effective support network of friends, neighbors and relatives stood by. These were terrible times and everyone understood what sacrifice meant. These people were the Greatest Generation but their voices are getting fewer and fewer. It is important that we reflect on what those people went through; even though we will never know their experience, they gave us the modern United States. We must remember their extraordinary accomplishments: the principles that held them together that they would like us to pass on to the next generation.
On May 29th, State Representative Reggie Phillips introduced House Resolution HR1138 which urges making Chicago the 51st state. HR1138 is an outgrowth of the frustration of the high-handed ways Chicago influences the rest of the state. This is similar to the sanctuary county for gun owners’ movement we are now seeing. The resolution has some interesting history in it. Take a few minutes and read it.
May 30th, the highly flawed Gun Dealer Licensing Bill, SB337 is one of those “we have to do something, even if it is wrong” bills, which is why Illinois is continuously in a pickle. SB337 will not solve anything that the proponents claim it will. It will just be tough on Firearm Dealers and Illinois gun owners. In my opinion, that was the real purpose of the bill in the first place.
The 2018 Spring Session ended May 31st. Now we will have to wait to see what the Governor does about SB337. He may veto the whole bill or Amendatory Veto part of the bill. If he does either one, the bill will be held by the Secretary of State until the Fall Veto Session. The first Veto Session will be held on November 13, 14, and 15; the second Veto Session will be the week after Thanksgiving, on November 27, 28, and 29.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6th. I am sure you have already noticed that both veto sessions are after the election. We wouldn’t want to hold anyone accountable, would we!
On Tuesday, June 12th a judge in the Circuit Court of Lake County issued a temporary injunction preventing the Village of Deerfield from enforcing their so-called assault weapons ban. The plaintiffs in the case are the Illinois State Rifle Association, Second Amendment Foundation and Deerfield resident Daniel Easterday.
The Deerfield Ordinance banned possession of legally owned semi-automatic firearms, original capacity magazines, required them to be turned into the village or be confiscated and destroyed, and included a $1000 a day fine for not doing so. It should be noted that the Brady Campaign provided the village’s legal services pro bono (free). Our ISRA attorney, David Sigale, did a great job. Thank you David!!! This is not over. We now have to get a permanent injunction!
Under the category “Why we don’t want to register our guns”, a California farmer, Jeffrey Kirschenmann tried to comply with the state’s new registration scheme and got his home raided for his trouble. Not only did he lose the semi-auto rifle he was trying to register, he lost all of his other firearms too. Mr. Kirschenmann was trying to register his firearm legally and sent pictures to the California Department of Justice (CDOJ). Based on those pictures, the CDOJ determined the gun must be illegal and raided his home. These CDOJ people really know their stuff if they can determine if a gun complies with their law by a photograph – NOT! His case is now in court.
Congratulations to the members and supporters in Jackson County. We learned of a resolution proposed by Jackson County board member Julie Peterson, who is an ardent anti-gunner, to support the anti-gun legislation in Springfield. We immediately sent out an alert. Tuesday night, 250 ISRA members and pro Second Amendment supporters showed up at the Jackson County Board meeting. The resolution was not adopted. Strangely, Julie Peterson was absent. We are told it was a family medical emergency. Hopefully, there will candidates for her seat with the next election.
Speaking of county resolutions, maybe Jackson County should pass a Gun Sanctuary County resolution. While we are on the topic of resolutions, I have lost track of how many counties have passed; I hear it may be around 30 counties. If your county has passed such a resolution, I would like to have a copy of it. Please mail a copy to the office or email a copy to member@isra.org.
In some fun news, from the website Second City Cop, regarding ardent anti-gun priest Father Pfleger: It seems that the anti-gun Pfleger has armed security and one of them was arrested for carrying a gun without a license outside of St. Sabina, Father Pfleger’s church.
Apparently the anti-gun Archdiocese forgot to tell Pfleger that carrying a gun is against the rules; of course, there are rules that apply to some of us and not others – do as I say, not as I do. The other question that comes to mind is why this guy didn’t get an Illinois Concealed Carry License? Surely he wouldn’t have been a prohibited person would he? Don’t you just love unlimited hypocrisy?
I want to thank our members for their dues, donations and faith in the Illinois State Rifle Association. It is you who stand squarely in the pass at this Thermopylae!
The latest numbers are in:
FOID – 2,298,415
ILCCL – 300,068
My goal was to reach 300,000 ILCCLs in five years: the goal has been met in four and a half years.
Thanks for being a member.
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CALL: 815-635-3198
For more information on Upcoming Events visit: www.isra.org
Illinois Concealed Carry Class
7/7 & 7/8 2018 – 8:30 – 6:00 –
Classroom and Range # 9
8/4 & 8/5/2018 – Classroom
and Range # 9
16-hour class for
CONCEALED CARRY LICENSE
Members and Public
(prior registration required)
Contact: Jeremiah Henderson at
312-925-9256 or
at jeremiahsays@gmail.com
ISRA Rifle Instructor Class
Open to the public
SAT. 7/14/2018 – Range 8 &
Classroom – 8:00 am-5:00 pm
SUN. 7/22/2018 – Range 10 &
Classroom – 8:00-5:00
Course Cost: ISRA members $225.00,
Non Members & 275.00
Contact Ann at 815-635-3198 or
at ann@isra.org
Course Instructor: Michelle Ressell
