ISRA Thursday Bulletin - October 10, 2019
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Executive Directors Message
Most of us meander through life changing gradually as we meet people and entertain new ideas. Every once in a while, we meet a person or an idea in life that causes us to take a sharp 90 degree turn in our life. We may not even realize it right away until we view it through a perspective of our own history sometime later. This can be a teacher, someone we work with, an
acquaintance or just anyone.
I have been fortunate to have several positive events like this in my life. One of those events was from Ross H. Muench from Normal, Illinois. I was struggling to make the Illinois State University football team and it wasn’t going very well. One day I was griping about the football coach and did not realize he was standing behind me at the time. I think the skid marks my hind end made just outside McCormick Gym are still visible in the sidewalk many years later. I was in search of something to do when I found out one of the instructors in the Physical Education Department was the sponsor of the ISRA Smallbore Shooting Club. I went to talk to her and she talked to the coach, Ross H. Muench. We had a Range in the basement of the Bloomington Fire Department. I packed up my trusty Winchester Model 62A and headed for the next practice session on Saturday morning. It was a sobering experience. I had never seen things like Remington Model 37s, Winchester 52s, Winchester 75s, Savage 19s or Remington 513Ts but I did that day. I also saw how well they could shoot. I talked to Coach Muench and he loaned me a Mossberg 44 of some ilk but it was better than what I had. Coach Muench had an abundance of patience and wise counsel. I borrowed my cousin’s 513T and I did better each time. I liked hitting this little impossibly small target. It was a test of mental strength as well as physical skill. With football, I was never going to be 6’ 6” and run the 40 in 4.4 seconds. I was strong enough but the rest I didn’t have, and was not ever going to get. Besides, I kind of got used to not having sprained thumbs, busted-up knees and sore “whatever you could name” every week. The one thing I had was an old-fashioned work ethic. I had a job, in fact, many jobs, while going to school on scholarship. I could do the once a week practice much better than football every night and a game on the weekend schedule. Coach Muench taught me a lot about shooting and everything else that goes along with being a good person and a good mentor. Coach Muench passed away last Thursday at the age of 90. Thank you, Coach, you changed my life. I have tried to uphold your standards. I am sad you are gone. The deadline for comments on the Gun Dealer Licensing Certification Act (GDLCA) Rules has passed. Now the waiting game begins. It will probably be December or January before there is a hearing. Until then, it will be business as usual. I don’t see this thing going into effect anytime soon. The Supreme Court of the United States has, once more, declined to dismiss the New York Rifle and Pistol Association v. New York City case. New York City claims that because they adjusted their ordinance, the case is moot. These jerk municipalities are always trying to pull that one. They will double-cross you every time. Thankfully, the SCOTUS declined the request for dismissal and the case will be heard on December 2, 2019. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and other liberal Democrat Senators have threatened to pack the court. They would love to raise the SCOTUS to 13 or 15 Justices and overwhelm the stricter constitutionalists on the court. Just what we don’t need. Shenanigans like this is why every gun owner better be at battle stations from now through the 2020 elections. The Illinois State Rifle Association will sponsor a scaled down version of IGOLD on Tuesday, October 29th. The venue for the meeting is the Howlett Building Auditorium which only holds about 500 people. The purpose of this event is to stop in and see your State Senator and ask them to vote NO on SB1966. If it passes the Senate, the Governor will surely sign it. As long as you are there, take time to go see your State Representative. If you are unable to be present, please call your State Senator and State Representative from your home or work. Agenda for Lobby Day - Tuesday, October 29, 2019:
9:00 am Meet at the Howlett Building Auditorium 9:30 am Pledge of Allegiance 9:35 am Legislative Update 9:45 am Overview of our goal 10:00 am Briefing on lobbying the Legislators 10:15 am Head to Capitol to lobby Senators (If time permits, please lobby your Representative) Announcements Tidbits of history this week includes the U.S. Marine’s first ever helicopter assault on October 10, 1951, in Korea. Happy birthday to the United States Navy on October 13, 1775. Thanks for being a member. If you are not a member, please JOIN. Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar For more information, visit www.isra.org Saturday, October 12, 2019 Black Powder League State Championship Sunday, October 13, 2019 Handgun Drills Monday, October 14, 2019 6th Annual Steve Balich Constitutional Rights Fundraiser Benefiting the ISRA Tuesday, October 15, 2019 Tuesday Afternoon Highpower League Saturday, October 19, 2019 ISRA Annual Sighting-In-Day Sunday, October 20, 2019 Marksmanship League Awards Luncheon ISRA Marksmanship .22 Challenge Finals Liberal Gun Owners Club Illinois Gun & Trade Shows Mattoon Gun Show Mattoon, IL – Cross County Mall Dates: October 12-13, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 8:00-4:00 Sunday: 8:00-2:00 Admission: $6.00 New Berlin Gun Show New Berlin, IL – Sangamon County Fairgrounds Dates: October 12-13, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $5.00 Kane County Sportsman’s Show St Charles, IL – Kane County Fairgrounds Date: October 13, 2019 Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30 Admission: $7.00 Springfield Gun & Knife Show Springfield, IL – Illinois State Fairgrounds Dates: October 19-20, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $6.00 McHenry County Gun Show Woodstock, IL – McHenry County Fairgrounds Date: October 19, 2019 Hours: Sunday: 8:00-1:00 Admission: $5.00 Kankakee Gun Show Kankakee, IL – Kankakee County Fairgrounds Dates: October 26-27, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 8:00-4:00 Sunday: 8:00-2:00 Admission: $6.00 Sauk Trail Gun Show Princeton, IL – Bureau County Fairgrounds Dates: October 26-27, 2019 Hours: Saturday: 8:30-4:30 Sunday: 8:30-3:00 Admission: $2.00 Check out ISRA's website at www.isra.org! Tell us what you think! |