We are hearing the push for so-called “assault weapons “bans in the Chicago suburbs. I imagine we will see a push for this in the Illinois General Assembly in a Special Session, most likely after Labor Day. Governor Pritzker was one of those politicians featured in a special report on WGN television out of Chicago. The Governor addressed why the bans have not passed. The Governor said, “There is the powerful Illinois State Rifle Association, a subset of the National Rifle Association, that’s had a lot of influence over the years.” The Governor went on to say “that they are in a position to overcome that obstacle (meaning the ISRA) and get an assault weapons ban in our state. I am certainly pushing for it.” We will have to see Governor.
The City of Naperville passed an ordinance Tuesday night, or I should say early Wednesday morning at 1:20am. The ordinance bans the sales of semiautomatic rifles or as they call them so-called “assault weapons.” This ordinance takes effect in six months. There were 442 signed opponents and 73 proponents but that didn’t matter to the City Council. The ordinance passed 8-1. This isn’t over yet.
Over the past several years, we have seen 27 attempts of banning so-called assault weapons. Of course, a couple of weeks ago, the Associated Press pointed out there really is no such thing as an assault weapon. It is a made-up term that is very misleading. In fact, the term was designed to be misleading, to influence and intimidate the naive and uninformed. The only people that would be affected by a so-called assault weapons ban would be the law-abiding citizens that use them for target shooting, hunting and self-defense. Criminals not only don’t care, they are also glad because it gives them an advantage over the law-abiding citizens. The anti-gun side ignores the fact that there are about 47,000 firearm laws in the books which are ignored or simply not enforced.
The liberals whine that the United States has a higher percentage of the population in prison than other developed countries. First, we are not “other” countries and our population is far different than other countries. A person has to work pretty hard to get a prison sentence in the United States, but we have a lot of people who are happy to try, it seems. The liberals complain that it is expensive to keep people in prison. Somehow this argument leaves the victims out and, in fact, ignores them. We are not able to ask the woman who has been raped and butchered in her own home, or the carjacking victim who is lying beside the road bleeding out, or the nine-year-old kid who is dying from gang violence on Chicago’s southwest side. If I could, I would be willing to bet the victims would say the expense was worth it. Finally, we are told that they, the criminals, and the crazies, are better off living among us. What about us? No one seems to care that we are not better off.
The fact is that the law-abiding citizens in the United States have a right to defend themselves. The best way to do that is with a semiautomatic firearm. Somehow, these liberals think criminals will be nice and play by the rules. Only a fool or fools would believe that. Crimes happen in 3 to 5 seconds. No cop is going to come and save you. That is up to you. The cry is that it should not be this way. Well maybe not, but it has always been this way and it is not going to change. The best way to defend yourself is with an AR15 or similar firearm. Anyone who believes otherwise is living in lala land.
There are those who want to crush the Second Amendment and yes, the Illinois State Rifle Association has and will continue to stand in their way. There are 2.4 million law-abiding gun owners in Illinois who haven’t done anything to anyone, yet it is us who are the targets of anti-gun laws. To say that anti-gun laws are there to protect the innocent is not true. Anti-gun laws only make it easier for the criminals and for the government to control you and me.
The Illinois State Rifle Association Precision Pistol Championship was a great success. Thanks to John Newman and all the great volunteers and staff that made it happen. Thank you to all.
The Illinois State Rifle Association will hold the 86th State Smallbore Championship on September 10 and 11. This is the longest running continuous shooting championship in the United States. This championship was held during World War II and the Korean War. I am proud to say we are continuing that tradition.
This year, the ISRA, in conjunction with the Aurora Sportsman’s Club, is holding our first F-Class High Power Rifle Championship. The line is already full, and a waiting list has begun. Thanks to all the ISRA members and Aurora Sportsmen’s Club members who are making this happen.
Just for the record, I have a book on loan from Jim Miller on rifle marksmanship. This isn’t just any book. This book was developed by the National Rifle Association and the War Department for training soldiers in marksmanship before reporting for basic training in WWII. Some 300,000 civilian VOLUNTEERS trained thousands of soldiers in marksmanship. Holding these above mentioned championships, as well as other events, are all part of keeping marksmanship skills alive and keeping the United States ready. This was the idea of President Theodore Roosevelt. The Illinois State Rifle Association was one of the first to gladly sign up for this duty. In a way, President Theodore Roosevelt was the founder of the Illinois State Rifle Association. We are still at it Mr. Roosevelt, 119 years later. We keep our promises.
The Massad Ayoob MAG 80 Course, September 7th-11th at our range, is an intensive study of defensive firearms that teaches extreme speed for hits, and includes shooting at greater distances, and management of such contingencies as weak hand draws, one-hand only reloads and malfunction clearing if wounded, etc. Students receive several hours of hands-on training in handgun disarming, and in countering attempts by an attacker to disarm them. Shooting while moving, and the use of long guns for defense, are among the areas covered. Round count: 500 handgun, 100 long gun. Prerequisites: MAG-20/Classroom plus MAG-20/Live Fire; MAG-40 or LFI-I. Contact Andy Kemp at 208-771-3413 or Andy1911@imaxmail.net
On January 1, 2023, the SAFE-T Act will be the law in Illinois. While many tout the SAFE-T Act, I personally feel it is a really bad piece of legislation. What is the SAFE-T Act you ask? It is essentially a “No Cash Bail Law”. We are watching the results of similar laws in California and New York. I believe it will be disastrous for most law-abiding citizens. The SAFE-T Act will put dangerous criminals back on the street within hours of their arrest. You and I will be left to deal with them. The danger of criminals attacking you or your loved ones goes up dramatically, in my opinion.
Some of this is already happening in Cook County. The SAFE-T Act will make it happen all over Illinois. Murderers, robbers, rapists, drug dealers, car jackers, and drunk drivers will be released and coming to your neighborhood. As I understand the law, the only ones who will be in jail are those who are a threat to a specific person. For example: a drunk driver who caused a crash that killed an entire family will be let out because he did not intentionally target them; he can go out and do it again. Here are some more examples: Joe Doaks kills his wife, Jane Doaks. He will be released because he is no longer a threat to Janes Doaks because he was successful in murdering her. If he had tried to murder her but only disabled her, he could be kept in jail because she is still alive, and he is a threat to her.
A gangbanger randomly shoots a 10-year-old kid. He would be let out because it was random. He did not specifically target the kid. Even if he had, the kid is dead anyway, so the gangbanger is no longer a threat to the kid. The same goes for the random rapist, robber or whatever. In my opinion, there is some screwy thinking in this bill. The bill should be reconsidered. You and I have just become fair game for criminals.
Even worse, here is some information you might find unsettling, to say the least. An organization known as Wirepoints, has gone through public records and found some startling information on the Chicago Police Department. In 2021, there we 788,000 High-Priority Level 1 calls to 911. A High-Priority Level 1 call means there is an imminent threat to life, bodily injury, or major property damage. In 2021, 406,829 of High-Priority Level 1 calls were not responded to because there were no police available to answer the call. If you break that down, that means every minute and 21 seconds a Level 1 call came in that was not answered. In 2021, there were 2000 calls involving someone who was actually shot that there were no police available to respond. Before I go any further, I am not blaming the Chicago Police officers for this lack of staffing. Adding to this chaos is the SAFE-T Act which begins January 1, 2023. Did I mention that Cook County has released over 100 murderers out of jail that are using electronic ankle bracelets? I know that it will be a comfort to you knowing they are wearing an ankle monitoring device. Go find a Concealed Carry Instructor and get your ICCL. If you have your ICCL, take an advanced class. Bring the members of your household and your friends up to speed on what is going on.
There are many gun owners who think the anti-gun crowd is just a bunch of misguided folks who really just don’t understand. That is not true. They are out to destroy private gun ownership and anyone who stands in their way. Here are a few recent Tweets that will emphasize how deep this fight for our freedom is going to get. This is a quote from Newtown Action Alliance’s Po Murray. “A gun rights activist from Newtown told me he needs an AR15 to defend himself against a tyrannical government. I told him the CIA has drones with missiles, Hellfire RX9 ‘knife bomb’/ flying Ginsue was used to kill al Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahi”. Really now, Ms. Murray. You are advocating the use of military force against law-abiding American gun owners. Okay Ms. Murray, we now know where we stand.
Just to add to the fire, California Congressmen Eric Swalwell tweeted that those gun owners who would dare to oppose a tyrannical government’s attempt to seize lawfully owned firearms would face a short war because “the government has nukes too.” Nice.
Swalwell is the California Congressmen who has some sort of relationship with alleged Chinese spy Fang Fang, who also uses the name Christine Fang. Now you know what the radical left anti-gunners think of us and what they want to do to us.
A chill swept across the nation Monday evening when the FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s home in Florida. Of course, the Biden Administration knows nothing (shocker). Even worse, Trump’s attorneys were ordered to leave so there were no witnesses. Who knows what they found or what evidence they planted. Good people, we are in trouble.
Results from the National Rifle Matches are still coming in. I am pleased to announce the Illinois State Rifle Association Gold Team has won the National Six Man Team Championship. They also won the Soldier of Marathon Trophy which is the oldest trophy in the Civilian Marksmanship Program. Last week, I discussed the meaning of Xs or tie breakers. ISRA Gold beat Texas with a score or 2931-98x to their 2931-86x. That is about as close as it gets. Great shooting on everyone’s part.
ISRA shooter Patrick Boyle placed 7th in the M1 Garand Match. Smallbore shooter Jim Miller made the Dewar team which is always a real honor. By next week the matches will be finished. Thanks to all of those ISRA shooters who participated.
