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ISRA Thursday Bulletin - August 1, 2019
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Executive Directors Message
This morning I tore another page off the calendar and August 1st abruptly appeared. Indeed, 2019 is rapidly slipping away. Squirrel season is here and in a month dove season will kick off the wing shooting season. Before long, Fall will be upon us and deer and water fowl season will be in full swing.
I am not sure what effect the Spring monsoons and the recent drought in some parts of the state will have on game populations. I suspect it won’t be good. Pheasants will probably be in the worst trouble. In any case, good luck to all those hunters out there. Turmoil inside the NRA has led anti-gun groups to increase their attacks on the Second Amendment and individual gun ownership. All across the country Bloomberg’s minions are on the attack. Illinois, of course, is in their sights. It is important that every Illinois gun owner be ready. The ISRA will begin regional meetings in August. We will be doing updates at the Bloomington Gun Show on August 10th and 11th. We will also hold meetings in Sparta and Harrisburg, Illinois. We will be preparing for the Veto Sessions and the Spring Legislative Session. The 2020 General Election is looming large. It is going to be a very busy year. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, a pair of robbers attempted a holdup at a 7-Eleven. The pair barged in and ordered everyone to follow directions, or else. The “or else” appeared in the form of a legally licensed concealed carry holder. The local hero quickly shot and killed one of the robbers and wounded the other. Those two had apparently robbed a string of convenience stores. It turned out that the robbers were armed with air guns but no one knew that until it was over. In Gilroy, California, a crackpot shot and killed three people at the annual Garlic Festival. The Garlic Festival is in a Gun Free Zone so there was no licensed concealed carry citizen who could have stopped the shooting. Reports indicate that the shooter had previously been electronically searched with a wand by the police. Apparently, someone cut a hole in the fence and the rifle was passed through the hole at the Festival. He may have had an accomplice but no one knows for sure at this time. The police neutralized the shooter in about one minute but it was too late. Both this situation and the one in Virginia Beach were those places where seconds counted and minutes were too late. Virginia has lots of concealed carry permit holders but California does not. California is a May-issue state which means a person can pass all the requirements but the state can simply refuse your permit without cause. Santa Clara County, where Gilroy is located, has a population of 1.5 million people. There are only 113 concealed carry permits in the Santa Clara County, or one permit for every 14,000 plus people. In my opinion, the State of California bears some of the responsibility for the incident. A new world record has been set for the longest shot that broke a clay pigeon in the air. The record is an unbelievable 160 yards. The shotgun was a Winchester SX3 Long Beard 12 gauge equipped with a Vortex red dot sight and an improved-modified choke. The shells were Winchester X R loaded with No.5 shot. A couple of clay pigeons were hit but did not break. Still, it is nice shooting. The ISRA Junior Smallbore Team placed second overall in Conventional Position Championships. Josie Peters placed in the top 10 of all competitors. Martina Gratz was second in the Iron Man Match. The Iron Man Match is a 1200 shot match with a possible 12,000 points. Martina is a Junior in High School. I can’t tell you how much pleasure it gives me to report that Martina did so well in the Iron Man. News from the National Rifle Championships is good. Jim Miller is a Senior Shooter and is one of the best in the country. Jim won three Senior Aggregate medals and made both the Dewar Team and Wakefield Teams. The Smallbore Nationals are over and the ISRA shooters did well. Good job! The first scores are in from the High Power Rifle Championships. ISRA’s Liam McKenna placed 8th in the President’s 100 overall, and was 4th Civilian nationally. Great job there also. That is the only match report I have so far for High Power. There will be more next week. We are pleased to welcome back Midwest Training Group (MTG) to our ISRA Range. The 2-day Advanced Tactical Pistol Course will be held on August 24th and 25th. The Tactical Defensive Rifle Course is September 14th and 15th. There are a few openings left in each class. Contact [email protected] or visit www.MidwestTrainingGroup.net to register for these classes. Thanks for being a member. Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar For more information, visit www.isra.org Saturday, August 3, 2019 Range Work Day Sunday, August 4, 2019 Black Powder League Black Powder Confederation Rifle & Pistol 3 Gun Combat Pistol League Monday, August 5, 2019 Military Benchrest League Tuesday, August 6, 2019 Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League Wednesday, August 7, 2019 Benchrest League F-Class Rifle League Thursday, August 8, 2019 ISRA Smallbore Rifle League Smallbore F-Class Rifle League Saturday & Sunday, August 10 & 11, 2019 Project Appleseed Illinois Gun & Trade Shows Bloomington Gun & Knife Show ISRA will be presenting legislative updates Bloomington, IL – Interstate Center Dates: August 10-11, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $6.00 Belleville Gun & Knife Show Belleville, IL – Belle-Clair Expo Center Dates: August 24-25, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $6.00 Lake County Gun & Sportsman Show Antioch, IL – Antioch VFW Date: August 25, 2019 Hours: Sunday: 8:00-2:00 Admission: $7.00 Check out ISRA's website at www.isra.org! 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