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ISRA Thursday Bulletin - January 30, 2020
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Executive Directors Message
While at the SHOT Show, I walked 31.5 miles looking for products that might be of interest to our members. After the first day everything was done in the exhibition hall so I was not able to do any live fire. Still, you can get a good idea of products simply by handling them or watching demonstrations.
Like many of you, I own a variety of knives, pocket knives, hunting knives, kitchen knives, and tactical knives. Because I own so many knives, I also have a bunch of knife sharpeners I have collected over the years. All of these knife sharpeners work but sometimes not very well. There are a couple of difficulties one must overcome to get a really sharp knife. The first is getting a really good edge the length of the blade. The greatest difficulty, for me at least, is maintaining the proper the angle on both sides of the blade. This angle can vary depending on the purpose of the knife. I am sure that if I practiced sharpening knives every day, I would eventually get the hang of it but I don’t really have time. While strolling through the aisles I came across a company known as the Wicked Edge. The Wicked Edge has a system that clamps the knife blade in place while sharpening the knife with two stones attached to steel rods that are at a preset angle. This method solves the angle problem. I suggest you go to their website www.wickededgeusa.com to get the whole concept. They offer stones from 100 grit to 1500 grit. When I travel, I pack a couple of extra knives in my suitcase. These are not the most expensive knives as you might imagine. I gave the knife I was carrying to one of the people working the booth. He demonstrated the Wicked Edge sharpener using my knife. My knife was as dull as a garden hoe. After a couple of minutes that knife became the sharpest one I own. The Wicked Edge has models for both home and professional use. I don’t see people who sharpen knives at gun shows very much anymore. Using one of these sharpeners would be good for a side business at gun show, just a thought. I watched an interview with Beau Hickman, one of the owners of SCCY firearms (pronounced: Sky). Beau was showing off the new SCCY DVG-1. The DVG-1 is chambered in 9mm and has a 10-1 capacity. The slide was easy to manipulate and had a nice 5-pound trigger pull. The DVG-1 is striker fired, a first for SCCY. The DVG-1 Is nicely priced with an MSRP $289. The DVG-1 can be purchased with iron or optical sights. They should be available this spring. I am proud to announce the ISRA will be hosting a Precision Rifle Instructor Development School at our Range in April. This is a 5-day course which is intended for public and private law enforcement officers and military personnel who are currently assigned, or about to be assigned, duties as law enforcement firearm instructors. For more information and an application, please click this link. Advocacy / Legislation The 2020 Legislative Session is upon us, we will continue listing and adding bills being tracked by the ISRA during the Spring Session of the 101st General Assembly. Remember that the ISRA is the ONLY gun-rights organization based in Illinois with lobbyists in Springfield. Our lobbyists are there whenever there's action, testifying in committee, meeting with your legislators, and working in partnership with the NRA lobbyist. Shell bills are introduced without meaningful language, and can be changed later. We have to watch those bills introduced by the anti-gunners to see if they develop into anything threatening. There are also shell bills introduced by those on our side. Please be aware that our stated position is based upon the bills’ language at the time of our review. Our position may change at any time during the course of the legislative session due to amendments that are put forward by the legislators. Check the bill list regularly as bills may be added AFTER the introduction deadline due to amendments. We are all concerned about the fund sweeps that have taken over $27,000,000 out of various State Police Funds. The Courts have repeatedly held that the Governor has the power to sweep accounts. The only way to stop any governor from sweeping funds is with a Constitutional Amendment. We are working on a “Lock Box” Amendment so the funds cannot be swept. A constitutional amendment is not an easy thing to do. Just for the record, constitutional amendments are not supposed to be easy. The Illinois State Rifle Association is excited to launch the ISRA Credit Card in partnership with Services Credit Union (SCU). Make sure your ISRA membership is current so you can benefit with this great offer. We will be sending an email notification to our members with instructions on how to apply. You can apply starting on February 1, 2020. Master your financial health this year and take advantage of a credit card that supports the ISRA and works for qualifying applicants with features like:
Thanks for being a member. If you are not a member JOIN NOW! Save the date: IGOLD 2020 is April 1, 2020! Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar For more information, visit www.isra.org Range Work Day Saturday, February 1, 2020 ISRA Air Rifle League Tuesdays – 8:00-5:00 ISRA International Air Pistol League Every other Wednesday – 8:00-5:00 Gun & Trade Shows Crown Point Gun Show Lake County Fairgrounds – Crown Point, IN Dates: February 8 & 9, 2020 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $5.00 Kane County Sportsman’s Show Kane County Fairgrounds – St Charles, IL Date: February 9, 2020 Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30 Admission: $7.00 Regional Firearms Auction Rock Island Auction Company – Rock Island, IL Dates: February 13-16, 2020 New Berlin Gun Show Sangamon County Fairgrounds – New Berlin, IL Dates: February 15 & 16, 2020 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $5.00 Bloomington Gun & Knife Show Interstate Center – Bloomington, IL Dates: February 22 & 23, 2020 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $6.00 Diamond Gun & Sportsman’s Show Diamond Banquet Hall – Diamond, IL Dates: February 22 & 23, 2020 Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00 Sunday: 8:00-2:00 Admission: $5.00 Check out ISRA's website at www.isra.org! Tell us what you think! |