A three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling that California’s ban on so-called high capacity magazines is a violation of the Second Amendment. While the case, known as Duncan v. Becerra, brought a favorable ruling, it will still have to go to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to become the law of the land. I have talked several times about the weakness of the SCOTUS. This case will be caught in the clog of cases being held up for that reason. The only chance this case has is if Donald Trump is re-elected as President of the United States.  The General Election is only 73 days away.

I have been reviewing gun bills from the Spring Session of the Illinois General Assembly. Just for everyone’s information, there are 115 gun bills still alive going into the 2021 Spring Session. Most of these bills are tied up in the House Rules Committee. We will probably see a like number of new bills in the next session, depending on the coronavirus. Nothing is happening right now because the General Assembly is not there and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is not called back into session until after the General Election.

As if ammunition sales weren’t already going through the roof, the Democrat Virtual Convention is adding even more pressure to buy ammo. As usual, the Democrat Party has a draconian gun control platform with an additional promise of a gun control czar thrown in for good measure. The support of notorious anti-gun individuals and organizations add even more to the mix. The Brady PAC has already given $1,100,000 to the Biden Campaign and other Congressional candidates with promises of more to come.

Added to this is Chicago’s Mayor chirping about common sense gun control. The Mayor might do well to chirp about common sense law enforcement to control the drug fueled gangs that rule ever increasing parts of Chicago. Common sense prosecutions would have to be added to the equation also. Of course, the missing-in-action State’s Attorney isn’t helping either. All this has added up to law-abiding citizens being on their own.

The signs of Fall are starting to appear. Starlings are starting to gather in flocks as the days shorten and the nights become cooler. They gather for both warmth and protection from predators. When they fly they are in graceful groups called murmurations. These murmurations protect them from flying predators such as hawks or falcons. It makes it difficult for these predators to pick out a single bird to target. There have been flocks of starlings that have contained 6,000,000 birds.

The trees are also starting to show signs of Fall. In May, June and July, the sun is at its maximum and the leaves are all a similar color of green. As the days shorten, the colors start to vary by species and a variation in the hues grow greater and greater until about the middle of October, when the leaves are at their brightest. The first frost is about a month away. Time to get out the hunting gear! Speaking of hunting, the IDNR has announced all the controlled pheasant hunting sites will be open. Check the IDNR website for specifics.

The ISRA Academy has some fabulous classes coming up. We have just scheduled two new classes from Midwest Training Group. These are both one day classes for those pressed for time. The first is Intro to Defensive Pistol on September 19^th and the second is Mastering the Revolver on September 20^th.   There are not many revolver classes out there. If you are revolver shooter this is a must.

The famous John Farnam is presenting his two day Defensive Urban Rifle Class on September 19^th and 20^th. This is a great class for those who want to master defensive rifle.

The Army Marksmanship Unit will be presenting Marksmanship 101 on September 26^th and 27^th. If you are interested in high power rifle shooting, you should take this class. There are only five spots left.

Tidbits:
August 21, 1863, William Quantrill and his guerillas raided Lawrence, Kansas, killing 150 men and burning 185 buildings.

August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th State.

August 23, 1814, Dolly Madison saves the Portrait of George Washington as British troops prepare to loot and burn the White House. The White House was rebuilt and in 1817 with President James Monroe being the first to occupy it. The British feasted in our White House the next day and then they burned it. Just wait, you will get yours at the Battle of New Orleans.

August 26, 1939, the first Major League Baseball game was televised. It was a double header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers. This event was done especially for the 1939 World’s Fair which was held in New York. The first regularly scheduled televised baseball games started in 1946. Americans have been snoozing in front of their TVs ever since.

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

MTG Advanced Handgun Drills
Saturday & Sunday, August 22 & 23, 2020

ISRA Bullseye Match & Combat Match
Sunday, August 23, 2020

Scout Rifle League
Military Benchrest League
Black Powder Confederation
Monday, August 24, 2020

Tuesday Night Irregular Rifle League
Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Benchrest League
F-Class 300 Yard Rifle League
Paper & Steel League
Wednesday, August 26, 2020

ISRA Smallbore Rifle League
ISRA Smallbore F-Class League
Thursday, August 27, 2020

Defensive Tactics for Concealed Carry II
The Well Armed Woman
Saturday, August 29, 2020

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