Mark and Patricia McCloskey live in a gated community in St. Louis, Missouri.  They were suddenly thrust into the national limelight when a group of protesters broke through the gates of their neighborhood.  The startled McCloskey’s saw a hundred or so protesters coming toward their house.  They grabbed their firearms and stood on their front porch to keep the protesters back.  Their lives were threatened, their dog’s life was threatened and they were told their home would be burned down.  The police were nowhere to be seen.  Apparently, St Louis police were told to stand down.

The McCloskey’s have been criticized for defending themselves, their dog and their home with firearms.  I will tell you I would have done the same thing.  Mrs. McCloskey has been criticized for having her finger on the trigger of her pistol and Mr. McCloskey for holding his AR15 level.  They were facing 100 or more protesters.  For those out there who have received training, you may have heard of, or even practiced, the Tueller Drill.  Lt. Tueller proved that when a person gets within 21 feet of a potential victim, they can travel that distance and strike you with their fist, club or knife in one and a half seconds or less, all of which could be lethal.  Many police departments have extended that further out to 50 feet.  That is for a single person.  The McCloskey’s were facing a mob.  To those who criticize their gun handling, you need to think about the circumstances these people were facing.  Some of the mob was 30 feet away.  I would like to tell those who criticize them - easy for you to say, you were not there.

The McCloskey’s instantly became a target of Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner.  Gardner is a left-wing prosecutor who sides with the mob.  She instigated a search warrant on the McCloskey’s home to seize their firearms.  Clearly they were only defending themselves and their home but that doesn’t matter. Gardner wanted to make an example out of them.  Of course, some of their cowardly neighbors said how awful it was that these two people defended themselves.  They were just piling on to avoid the wrath of Kim Gardner.  Meanwhile, the Republican Governor of Missouri is also doing nothing.  We have to stand up for ourselves and people like the McCloskey’s.  If we don’t, it is all gone.  We should follow Benjamin Franklin’s advice, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we will all hang separately.”

Years ago, a friend of mine and I were targeted by four thugs who tried to force us off the road and when they couldn’t do that, they chased us.  We could not outrun them, they had a fast car and we were in an old pickup.  We were finally able to get on a gravel road and create enough dust that they couldn’t see.  We turned the pickup sideways in the middle of the road, got out of the truck and faced them down across the hood and box with a couple of 12 gauge shotguns and a .45 automatic.  There are no Marquis of Queensberry rules when you are facing thugs or a mob.  If you think there are, you are already a long way towards dead.

In the adding insult to injury department, the Brady Campaign applied for a grant and received between $350,000 and a $1,000,000 in the Paycheck Protection Program according to the Small Business Administration.  For the record, I tried on behalf of the ISRA and was told we didn’t qualify.  The PPP is to help small businesses weather the impact of the Coronavirus.  Every pro-gun group I know of was hit hard, including the ISRA.  None, which I know of, received any relief, but anti-gun groups did - nothing like a level playing field. 

The PEW Research Center has surveyed gun owners as to why they own firearms.  There can be more than one reason.   The results are as follows.  Personal Protection 67%; Hunting 38%; Shooting Sports 30%; Collecting 13% and Job Related 8%.  Hunting used to be the number one reason by far.  Times have changed.

Tidbits:

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.  I was glued to the TV.

On July 20, 1925, Adolf Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, was published.

On July 21, 1865, Wild Bill Hickok fought his first duel.  David Tutt drew his pistol and shot at Hickok from a distance of 75 yards.  Hickok returned fire killing Tutt with a single shot from a Colt .36 caliber Navy.  Wild Bill hailed from Troy Grove, Illinois.

Thanks for being a member.  If you are not a member, JOIN NOW!

Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar
For more information, visit www.isra.org

Philip Hemphill Bullseye Clinic
MTG Tactical Defensive Rifle
Saturday & Sunday, July 18 & 19, 2020

Springfield Pistol Match
USCCA Defensive Shooting Fundamentals 1
Sunday, July 19, 2020

Scout Rifle League
Military Benchrest League
Monday, July 20, 2020

Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League
Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Benchrest League
F-Class 300 Yard Rifle League
Paper & Steel League
Wednesday, July 22, 2020

ISRA Smallbore Rifle League
ISRA Smallbore F-Class Rifle League
Thursday, July 23, 2020

Defensive Tactics for Concealed Carry Level 1
Friday, July 24, 2020

Defensive Tactics for Concealed Carry Level 2
Smallbore Clinic/3 Gun Match
Handgun Drills
Woolard Brothers Memorial Highpower Tournament
The Well  Armed Woman
Saturday, July 25, 2020

Reminder: There are openings available for the CMP Rifle Marksmanship 101 Training Course to be held at our ISRA Range in September.

Check out ISRA's website at www.isra.org! Tell us what you think!