Starting today, July 26, 2019, and for the next week, there is construction and upgrade to the internet backbone serving the ISRA office and the surrounding area.  Please be patient when contacting the office via email  or phone during this period.  This notice will be updated as needed.  Thank you for your understanding.

I know many of you are wondering about the status of the lawsuit against the Gun Dealer Licensing Certification Act.  All I can tell you is that the lawsuit has been filed and the defendants (State of Illinois) have been served.  As of this time, the defendants have not answered the complaint.  The coverage in the media has been pretty good.  One of the responses from the other side is we needed the Gun Dealer Licensing Certification Act (GDLCA) to stop straw purchases.  I would like to remind everyone that straw purchases are already illegal.  In fact, in 2008, during the 95th General Assembly, an enhanced penalty was passed to further deter straw purchases.  That bill, HB5524, passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives.  It is interesting that the only people who did not vote for it were 18 Chicago Democrats.  The bill did much better in the Illinois Senate.  One of the sponsors of that bill was Kwame Raoul, the present Attorney General.

As you know by now, the Illinois State Rifle Association has filed for a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent the enforcement of the Gun Dealer Licensing Act.  The request was filed Tuesday in the Circuit Court for The Seventh Judicial District, Sangamon County.  If we receive the TRO we will file for a Permanent injunction against the GDL Act.  We will keep you posted on what happens.  

The weather in Philadelphia in July 1776 was one of those hot muggy affairs where both the temperature and humidity hovered in the 90s.  Thomas Jefferson was working on the Declaration of Independence in rooms rented from Jacob Graff on the second floor of his home.  His quarters consisted of a parlor and bed chamber.  Jefferson described himself as writing habitually in the parlor for two weeks.  Despite the conditions, he finished the Declaration of Independence.  The Lee Resolution, also known as the Resolution for Independence, was passed on the 2nd of July.  That was the date Jefferson thought would be celebrated.  The final wording for the Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4th which turned out to be the date celebrated, much to the surprise of Jefferson.  The Declaration was not actually signed until August 2nd 1776.