I download a lot of podcasts from NPR since I find myself either driving to Madison, WI most weekends or find myself commuting on the train heading into Chicago daily. My favorites are the "Planet Money" and "This American Life" series. While driving back from Madison last night, I was amazed when this week's "This American Life" turned out to be about guns and their implications in America. I started listening closely as ira Glass announced that Dr. Gratia-Hupp was basically going to represent "our side". She is always a very compelling speaker who presents our case eloquently and respectfully.

The vignettes that are part of the show were actually fairly interesting to listen to, though I'm sure a lot of pro-gun people will write it off as jibber-jabber. That, particularly disturbs me - sometimes we seem so into our own culture that we forget that many people don't care one way or another about our particular "pet issue." Perhaps they're not paying attention, perhaps they're scared, perhaps they just never gave it any thought… I know I was like that a few short years ago. Whatever the case, shows like "This American Life", which present us as the intelligent people we are have a tendency to re-frame the debate, presenting the truth that the 2nd Amendment Right applies to all citizens, whether they choose to exercise that right or not, and makes it easier for us to try to engage them.

I'd urge you to download the audio and give it a listen.

Time to write/call your State Rep!

ISRA URGENT ALERT - YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED DALEY FORCES LAUNCH RENEWED ATTACK ON YOUR GUN RIGHTS LATEST EFFORT WOULD SHUT DOWN ALL GUN SHOPS
Late last week, Daley sympathizers in the Illinois House passed HB180 out of the Rules Committee and on to the floor of the House. A vote on HB 180 is expected as early as this coming Tuesday. Should you be worried about HB 180? ABSOLUTELY! HB 180 would include the following: 1. Require all Illinois gun shops to secure a license to operate issued by the Illinois State Police. Under this bill, the State Police may issue a license to a gun shop and would establish all rules and regulations required to keep the license. You know what that means  either nobody would be granted a license, or those who did get licenses would be so burdened by regulations that they could not make a profit. BOTTOM LINE: HB 180 would shut down all gun shops in Illinois. 2. HB 180 requires that all your gun purchases be registered with the state police. BOTTOM LINE: HB 180 is a licensing/registration scheme designed to keep track of how many guns you own so they may be easily confiscated at a later date. 3. HB 180 allows any police officer in the state go to any gun shop in the state to conduct so-called record reviews. BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago CAGE Unit could, and would, inspect gun shops across the state doing these record reviews. Shop owners, no matter where they are located, would be forced to cooperate with the CAGE unit or lose their licenses. The true purpose of these visits is to cost gun shops time and money and ultimately cause them to go out of business. WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SAVE YOUR GUNS: 1. Starting Monday morning, call your State Representative and politely tell him/her that you oppose HB 180 and that you would like to see him/her vote against the bill when it comes to the House Floor. If you do now know who your state representative is, go to the following web site and follow the directions for looking up your legislators: Illinois State Board of Elections.  If you know who your State Representative is, you can look up the phone numbers of their Springfield and district offices here. 2. Pass this alert on to all your friends and family, ask them to make calls as well. 3. Please post this alert to any and all blogs and bulletin boards to which you may belong. Thanks in advance for your help in this matter. The future of lawful gun ownership in Illinois depends on you!

Sorry, but I find this disturbing...

The Northwest Herald has the numbers...

Please don't forget to vote today...

If you're shooting the WIIT and need some practice, come out on Thursday. If you just want to try it out - come out on Thursday.

If you're bored and just want to hang out - come out on Thursday: we go for Pizza at the end of the match/night.

Sorry for positing this a few days late… Was a busy weekend shooting matches and running around.

The Tribune put coverage of the upcoming Supreme Court 2nd Amendment suit, McDonald vs City of Chicago, on the front page over the weekend. The article covers, with some bias that I'll address shortly, the back story of the case. I urge you to go read it now: here

Now, about the bias:

Generally, the media is so quick to frame any 2nd Amendment debate as a divisive, Democrat vs Republican, Urban vs Rural, Educated vs Country Bumpkin, Women vs Men issue all the while forgetting, conveniently I might add, that it is a right that should apply to ALL of us, regardless of creed, color, socio-economic class or ethic background. If the Thursday night McHenry County town hall meeting showed us  anything, it was that the debate is NOT a strictly a rural issue: Here we are, a collar county, suburban to Chicago, voicing our view that our rights shouldn't be abridged and that Concealed Carry deserves to get a fair shake when it comes up for debate in Illinois. Keep that in mind as you read passages like the following, which focus on the differences and not the similarities citizens everywhere have:

McHenry IDPA is shooting at HP Shooting Center tonight...

$15.00 for non-members ($13.00 for members). 2 or 3 stages depending on turnout/complexity.

Scanning the headlines we see:

• Northwestern University: Man with gun causes lockdown!
• Student shot outside of Hubbard High.
• Man shot in entrance to South Side building.

Just something to think about when McDonald vs Chicago gets argued in front of the Supreme Court... 

(And lest you think this is a Chicago-only phenomenon, it most certainly is not: 

Gangs in Palatine, Carpentersville:

Tonight, starting at 4PM on 890 AM (WLS).

GOP Debate.

John Haughey, of Outdoor Life, has an interesting perspective on the FBI's recent SHOT Show arrests. Please read his article.

Can't help but point out the final bit of his analysis, though:

As a tax-payer, I'm a bit miffed...

The petition to hear divided arguments regarding the McDonald vs Chicago case have been granted.
 
This means that in addition to Alan Gura, the guy who won Heller, the NRA will arguing too. 

Let me just say: Guys, you f@*k this up and you'll never see a dime from me again.

Lucky Gunner may have primers. They also may not have primers because the things go so damn fast these days...

First it was an ESPN article debating the merits of the AR platform, now it is an ESPN article looking at the CIFTA (UN Small Arms Treaty) ramifications on the shooting sports... WOW - If that isn't proof that the stigma associated with the most popular type of rifle, the AR platform, is crumbling, then I dunno what is...

Must say that the writing in both the article is excellent:

Looks like they're picking up some of the points of that debate that occurred this past Thursday night.

Our veep, Lee Lexow, quoted this following gem:


Give it a read.

Additionally, I snapped this picture of the doorman's counter - the final estimated totals are somewhere around 470 people!