I have been warning everyone about Michael Bloomberg and how dangerous he is to the Second Amendment and our gun rights. Bloomberg has just announced he is going to pour a billion dollars into his presidential campaign. I don’t think Bloomberg expects to be elected, I think he wants to reshape the United States which would include banning firearms to individuals like you and me. He will pour hundreds of millions into anti-gun commercials. The Executive Directors of the Texas State Rifle Association told me that in November and December, Bloomberg established 16 new offices in Texas. This is not just rented space. These offices are fully equipped and staffed and aimed at destroying the Second Amendment. If that is happening there, it is happening everywhere.
We still have way too many gun owners who are wallowing in the mud hole of complacency. They have to understand that we are in for the fight of our lives. Money is no object for Bloomberg. The only way to fight this guy is to join together. That is how we beat the British in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. At a gun show this weekend, one of our recruiters asked a man to join the ISRA. The man stated that he would rather buy a gun and also that $30 for a one-year membership was too much. Really, you would rather buy a gun but spend nothing on making sure you can keep it? The days of being a spectator in the battle to preserve our Second Amendment Rights are over. Join the ISRA today.
The battle in Virginia is raging. Last Monday, the NRA kicked off the week with a lobby day which I am sure will continue all week. I understand that the anti-gun legislators in Virginia have withdrawn their semi-auto ban bill for the time being – we all know they will be back. Next Monday, the 20th, the Virginia Citizens Defense League will hold their rally at the Capitol in Richmond. I have heard from some of you who are going to the rally. Good for you.
An example of how Red Flag Laws throw Due Process out the window is the justifiable shooting by a Colorado State University police officer. In 2017, Officer Phil Morris stopped 19-year-old Jeremy Holmes for driving erratically. Holmes stepped out of the car with a large hunting knife. The police video shows Officer Morris ordering Holmes to drop the knife 36 times. While Officer Morris was trying to transition to his taser, Holmes charged him and the officer shot him dead. The shooting was ruled justifiable but Holme’s mother has filed an Extreme Risk Order of Protection (Red Flag Law) against Officer Morris alleging that Morris may have had domestic violence in his past. They don’t know each other. The Red Flag Law went into effect on January 9, 2020. This law wasn’t even in effect when the altercation occurred. This is an example of how Red Flag Laws can be used to punish innocent people. It is too easy to get these Extreme Risk Orders of Protection. Officer Morris now has to defend himself in court. Ridiculous!
The Illinois General Assembly officially started the Spring Session January 8th. There wasn’t much activity until the last week of January. But a lot was going on behind the scenes. We can expect the introduction of many bills in early February. Over the last 20 years, there have been many changes in the lobbying world. The ISRA Lobby Team has been preparing for this Spring Legislative Session.
For years, we have been reminding everyone that when things go bad you have between three to five seconds to respond. The shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ proves the point. The shooter was dead in six seconds. Still, he was able to kill two people. Nevertheless, many people were saved by the quick response of the volunteer security guards. In such situations you have to be accurate and decisive.
The question is how do you get to be accurate and decisive? I have witnessed many people practicing speed shooting at various ranges. The problem is this: speed without accuracy is worthless. You can’t miss fast enough to save yourself or someone else’s life; just like you can’t miss fast enough to win a competition. In my opinion, when you practice you have to practice good marksmanship first. The fundamentals of stance, grip, sight alignment, trigger pull and follow through still must be correctly practiced or you will never achieve accuracy with speed. When you do practice the fundamentals, you can’t be sloppy about any one of them. There are those who always just practice sight alignment, but success will be limited unless you can put all the fundamentals together consistently.
One way to approach a practice session is to break apart the fundamentals and practice, emphasizing one over the rest. I didn’t say forget the rest. For example, grip is often one of the most forgotten fundamentals. So how do you practice grip? One way I like to practice is to set up a shooting table and lay the firearm on the table. Pick up the firearm and establish your grip and fire one careful shot. Then lay the firearm down and do it again. Do it fifty times, always the same way until you can always grip the firearm the same way. When doing these drills, I never load more than five rounds in a magazine or cylinder. The reason is that it slows you down, so you spend more time examining and studying the fundamental you are practicing. Why did I pick grip for this example? Because in most close self-defense distances, grip is combined with trigger pull; this is where your accuracy comes from. You may not be able to get in a stance, see your sights or anything else. I don’t want to mislead you; the further away from your target the importance of the fundamentals change, but none of them can be forgotten or ignored. You want to become an excellent shot at distance. Distance is your friend and if you are a good shot at distance, you have the advantage. Escape is more likely. Practicing fundamentals is something you always have to do and you must dedicate time to do them. Not practicing fundamentals is why many experienced shooters get sloppy.
Of course, you want to learn to shoot both fast and accurately, and I understand that. So do one-shot drills, two shot drills, three shot drills and go on from there to multiple targets. Then enter some type of competition. League shooting is a really good next step, followed by formal competitions. This will teach you to shoot under pressure. It will not be the same pressure you will feel when in a bad situation, but it will help you be ready should you be unfortunate enough to get into a real situation. The other thing that leagues and competitions do is that they teach you to clear malfunctions under pressure when you least expect them. Repeated drills and competitions help you learn to be decisive and develop combat mindset. The same is true for magazine changes and a variety of other skills that all go along with shooting. Taking classes to learn the proper way is important but skills must become second nature to you. Skills are perishable and must be repeated often. Skills must become second nature to you. In a bad situation you don’t have time to think about how to do different skills, you must simply do them. Remember, you have three to five seconds. As Wyatt Earp said, take your time but hurry.
Every once in a while, someone says something I wish I had said. In this case David Codrea aptly described the cause of so many Chicago shootings as being done by feral thugs. That term is exactly correct. These people freely roam the streets of Chicago causing havoc like feral hogs do in the timbers and forests downstate.
In my view, both the City of Chicago and Cook County blame everything and everybody but themselves. When the police arrest these feral thugs, they are out of jail before the arresting officer can get their paperwork done. One of the ways the City of Chicago and Cook County deals with their criminals is that they export them to the cities, villages and towns downstate and into Indiana. Every citizen and public official should be aware of this problem.
The ISRA has released a statement regarding the new cannabis law. This is a general statement. We don’t yet know all the ramifications of this law. Only the test of time will tell.
Cannabis is federally prohibited. The Illinois law applies only to Illinois. If you cross the state line with firearms and cannabis, that is a federal offense and prohibited in other states. If you are caught crossing the state line, you are headed for big trouble.
One of the most important tasks is preparing for IGOLD which will be held on Wednesday, April 1st. Everyone needs to make plans to attend if they can possibly make it. I know many gun owners and clubs have not attended IGOLD before. This is the year to change all of that. If you are a member of a shooting or hunting club, you need to discuss getting a bus or carpooling with other club members. If you do sponsor a bus, please let the ISRA know as soon as possible so we can make arrangements for bus parking with the City of Springfield.
Reminder: We will be offering an NRA Certified Range Safety Officer class on April 4th and 11th at our Range. Please contact mary@isra.org if interested.
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Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar
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2020 Gun Shows
Kane County Sportsman’s Show
Kane County Fairgrounds
St Charles IL
Sunday: 7:30-1:30 Feb. 9th
Regional Firearms Auction
Rock Island Auction Company
Rock Island, IL
February 13-16, Thurs.-Sun.
New Berlin Gun Show
Sangamon County Fairgrounds
Feb. 15 & 16
Sat: 9:00-4:00 * Sun: 9:00-3:00
Bloomington Gun & Knife Show
Interstate Center – Bloomington, IL
Feb. 22 & 23
Sat: 9:00-5:00 * Sun: 9:00-3:00
