DRAWING
A BEAD
ISRA 2005 Update
Richard A. Pearson
Executive
Director, ISRA
I want you to know what the Illinois State Rifle Association has achieved in 2004 and what our plans are for 2005.
In 2004, the ISRA dealt with over 50 gun bills in Springfield. We defeated all the anti-gun bills and passed three pro-gun bills, including overriding the Governor’s veto of SB2165, the Wilmette bill. We also challenged a dozen initiatives at the city and village council level, defeating them all.
To be as successful as we have been, we participated in over 90 radio, newspaper, and TV interviews, sent out several dozen press releases, sponsored a statewide television program, appeared at meetings throughout the state, and held our 2004 Lobby Day, which many of you participated in.
The ISRA Political Victory Fund published and distributed over 200,000 voters’ guides and endorsed 76 preferred candidates – 71 of which won the elections.
On the non-political side, the ISRA held its second annual Range Open House in Kankakee to introduce shooters to new products; hosted two Sighting-In-Days for hunters; assisted with two Sportsmen Alliance camps; held an NRA Youth Camp; awarded 10 grants to youth shooting programs; taught NRA Basic Pistol courses and Range Safety Officers courses; co-sponsored an IDNR Wingshooting Clinic; held a high power rifle clinic; sponsored over 70 shooting teams; represented sportsmen at the Conservation Congress; assisted in the military training at the ISRA Range and elsewhere, preparing our troops before deployment overseas; and hosted a Police Expo to introduce police officers to new equipment to aid them in the war on terror. We also received the Affiliate of the Year Award from the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Additionally, we revitalized our quarterly newspaper, The Illinois Shooter, to make it more current and effective. Next time someone asks: “What’s the ISRA done?” Now, you can tell them.
Get Ready to Rumble
In 2005 we are going to face legislative challenges as never before. Attorney General Lisa Madigan has thrown her support behind passing of a new “assault weapons” bill. All the old bills and their numbers will go away because the 93rd General Assembly is ending and we will be seating the 94th General Assembly. That means proposed legislation will be in a new package and assigned a new number. The contents of those packages will be the same, just rearranged. The anti's will continue to try to attack our Second Amendment rights. We won’t know the bill numbers or the continents of the legislative packages until mid or late February.
The ISRA will have a pro-gun agenda that we will be trying to pass. We will be presenting legislation that will include: Concealed Carry, F.O.I.D. card reform, and several new pro-gun bills. More details will be available in February. One of the new bills we will be working on is a lawsuit immunity bill for those who are kind enough to open their farms for hunting. The Illinois Supreme Court struck down the old law in March 2004; this has been devastating to hunting. We will introduce a new bill to deal with the Supreme Court decision, but like all other bills it won’t have a number assigned to it until February. Be assured the ISRA will continue to be on the front lines fighting for the rights of all the gun owners in 2005 and beyond. 2005 will be busy! If you are not a member of the ISRA you should be. Please join today and help win this fight!
Join the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) – for more information or to become a member call 815/635-3198 or continue surfing our web site, then join on-line.
Richard A. Pearson
Executive Director, ISRA