November 11, 2021
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 World War I (WW I) ended. WW I had left 9 million soldiers dead, 21 million wounded and at least 5 million civilians died. WW I was the “war to end all wars.” What WW I really did is laid the ground work for WW II. The problem was that WW I ended with an armistice not a surrender. The caldron of discontent boiled for 21 years in Germany. The draconian measures, placed on the German people festered and caused the rise of Adolf Hitler. November 11th was celebrated to remember the American soldiers in WW I. In 1954, the name of the day was changed to Veteran’s Day to honor American soldiers of all wars.
To many, Veteran’s Day is just another day to buy furniture, mattresses or something else on sale but it is much more than that. There is a poem written by WW II Army Veteran Charles Province which reminds us of what Veteran’s Day is all about. What inspired him to write it were his thoughts about the casualties of war, the killed, the missing, the wounded, and soldier’s bodies washing up on the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima. It’s called The Soldier’s Poem and this is how it reads:
It is the Soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
We proudly salute and honor our veterans for their service, bravery, sacrifices and for the freedoms we all enjoy today. The Soldier’s Poem should be read by everyone, taught in school and remembered on every Veteran’s Day.
There is a murmur sweeping across the land which becomes a little louder each day. To some, it is imperceptible but it is there and more people are hearing it. The murmur is fueled by the collected policies of the Biden Administration and the realization that the average citizen feels more and more abandoned. The soft on crime politicians add to the feelings of abandonment. The neighborhoods are being filled with more and more criminals. Chicago is a prime example. Literally almost no one is being jailed for murders. If they are, they are out in a few hours. One Chicago policeman told me personally that if they see a criminal committing a crime, they can’t chase that person until they have called in and their Sergeant has given them permission to do so. By that time, if they do get permission, the perp has long disappeared.
The ISRA has a pamphlet called “Will the Police Protect You?” which has been in circulation for some time. The short answer is the courts have ruled that the police have no duty to protect any individual. That goes for your property also. The police in places like Chicago are controlled by politicians. You know what that means.
Moreover, in these times, police departments are devastated by defund the police movements, mask and Covid-19 restrictions, mandatory vaccinations and understaffing. The police are being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. Political correctness for someone but certainly not you and me.
People who are in prison are being let out. In Illinois and other states, murders have actually been appointed to the Illinois Parole Board. No wonder the murmur is becoming louder and louder.
Last Saturday afternoon, a 77-year-old retired Chicago Fire Department Captain was working in his garage when a would-be robber pulled up and tried to rob him. That was his last mistake. The retired Captain, who has both a FOID card and ICCL shot him once in the head and once in the chest. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene.
There are several points here. First, this happened in broad daylight on the intended victim’s own property. Secondly, since the captain was on his own property, he didn’t need an ICCL. It was interesting that the Chicago Tribune reported the firearm status, FOID and ICCL of the intended victim but not the robber, probably an oversight on the Chicago’s Tribunes part. I’m sure the robber was one of those just getting his life together. You know the story, he’s going to get his GED, get into a Chicago Junior College and then on to The University of Edinburg, hoping to become an astrophysicist.
A third point is these crimes are no longer limited to night time. They are happening every hour of the day. People are getting carjacked on their way to work in the morning. The lesson here is be prepared all the time.
People have finally realized that the only person they can depend on to protect them and their loved ones is themselves. The only way to do that is with a firearm. Right now, firearms are becoming increasingly available. The same is true of ammunition but the price is still on the high side. I hate to tell everyone but I don’t think ammunition is going to go down in price. There are too many shortages of vital materials such as copper, lead, zinc and a variety of other things that go into making ammunition, not to mention transportation costs are going up. If you can find the type of ammunition you need, I would suggest buying it. In past years, you might have purchased 500 or 1000 rounds, now you may only be able to afford 200 or 300 rounds. Your practices must be better planned but it can still be done. Dry firing can also help make up for a lack of ammunition.
Maintaining as much practice time as possible is important. I cannot stress enough how important practice is. When things go bad, the human mind looks for similar situations and experiences to draw from to deal with the problem at hand. That is why classes are so important. Even though what you went through is not exactly the same, it is something. Competitions also help. If the mind looks for similar situations or skills to help solve the problem and finds nothing, panic becomes the typical response. When you are in a panic mode, lots of mistakes are often made. This is no place for on-the-job training. I’m sure the situation in the United States is going to get worse. You need to prepare yourselves. The time to start is now.
The Army Marksmanship Unit will return to the ISRA Range at Bonfield on October 1st and 2nd, 2022. This time both Marksmanship 101 for Pistol and Marksmanship 101 for Rifle will be offered. Watch for further details.
One interesting development on the Vivian Brown case is that Madison County State’s Attorney, Tom Haine, has filed an amicus brief (Friend of the Court brief) supporting the Second Amendment arguments in the case. The Illinois Supreme Court has not officially accepted the brief as of yet. State’s Attorney Tom Haine is the son of the former Madison County State’s Attorney and State Senator William Haine.
Here is some fun stuff from the arguments of the New York Rifle & Pistol Association v Bruen. New York claimed that strict scrutiny didn’t apply to the Second Amendment. The Justices asked for statistics to prove their point. The New York State’s Attorney did not have any. When the New York State’s Attorney commented that the subway would be filled with guns, Justice Samuel Alito quipped that they are already filled with guns and in the hands of criminals. The New York State’s Attorney seemed to be at a loss for words.
There was a huge break in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. On Monday, November 8th, a witness for the prosecution, Gaige Grosskreutz, who Kyle Rittenhouse shot, testified that he was not shot until he pointed his loaded Glock 27 at Rittenhouse between 3 and 5 feet. Grosskreutz admitted this during cross examination by Rittenhouse’s defense attorney Corey Chirafisi. All charges should be dismissed against Kyle Rittenhouse. It is my opinion that the prosecuting attorneys knew this all along. Kyle Rittenhouse should have never been charged. This is a political trial which should never happen in the United States. If the prosecuting attorneys knew this and proceeded anyway, they should be disbarred.
If some of you are looking at EOTECH sights online, there have been counterfeit ones out there. Lisa Kemp, Director of Marketing for EOTECH, stated that a six-figure settlement has been reached with JC Airsoft. There are others out there. Homeland Security Investigations assisted EOTECH in shutting this operation down.
The ISRA Academy will be offering Basic Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun classes January 2022. These classes will be available on a quarterly basis and special pricing will be offered to ISRA members. Please check the calendar for the upcoming dates.
Tidbits:
November 11, 1942 – Congress changes the draft age to 18 on the low end and to 37 on the high end. Some marksmanship instructors were used for civilian contractors up until they were in their 40s.
November 12, 1799 – Andrew Ellicott records the first meteor shower in North America. This meteor shower is known as the Leonid meteor shower. What Ellicott witnessed was more than just a meteor shower, it was a meteor storm. Meteor storms are defined as more than a 1000 meteors per hour. Every 33 years, the Leonid meteor shower intersects with the Tempel-Tuttle comet. Ellicott was watching one of those events. If you would like to see the meteor storm, don’t get your lawn chair out just yet. The next one will occur in 2031.
November 15, 1965 – Craig Breedlove sets a new land speed record of 600.6 miles per hour on the Bonneville salt flats in Utah. The car “Spirit of America”, was powered by a surplus Navy jet engine. The record stood for five years. That record was broken by Gary Gabelich in his car “The Blue Flame” which was rocket powered, went 622.4 miles per hour.
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Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar
For more information, visit www.isra.org
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Air Pistol League from 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Well Armed Woman
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Glock Fall League
Saturday, December 4, 2021
Range Work Day
Sunday, December 5, 2021
ISRA Black Powder League
Gun & Trade Shows
Crown Point Gun Show – Crown Point, IN
Lake County Fairgrounds
Dates: November 13 & 14, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $5.00
Kane County Sportsman’s Show – St Charles, IL
Kane County Fairgrounds
Date: November 14, 2021
Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30
Admission: $7.00
McHenry County Gun Show – Woodstock, IL
McHenry County Fairgrounds
Date: November 21, 2021
Hours: Sunday: 8:00-1:00
Admission: $5.00
Quad Cities Gun Show – Rock Island, IL
QCCA Expo Center
Dates: December 4 & 5, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00
Sunday: 9:00-3:00
Admission: $6.00
Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club Gun & Knife Show – Chillicothe, IL
Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club Club House
Dates: December 4 & 5, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 8:30-5:00
Sunday: 8:30-3:00
Admission: $3.00
Will County Gun Show – Peotone, IL
Will County Fairgrounds
Dates: December 4 & 5, 2021
Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00
Sunday: 8:00-2:00
Admission: $6.00
Kane County Sportsman’s Show – St Charles, IL
Kane County Fairgrounds
Date: December 12, 2021
Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30
Admission: $7.00