Pearson Report June 8, 2010 ISRA

We've known this all along...

Sorry about being a little late getting this issue of the "Pearson Report" out to you. With the spring session of the General Assembly coming to a close, things got a little hectic in my corner of the world. But, there is a silver lining to this cloud. Since I last wrote to you, a whole lot of things happened in the gun rights arena that certainly deserve discussion.

But, before I get to a discussion of current events, I'd like to thank all of you who came out to the ISRA Legal Assistance Committee banquet back on the 28th. We all had a wonderful time and a bunch of lucky people walked away with some great guns and other prizes. Thanks again for making this event such a great success!

As many of you know, the U.S. Supreme Court is only weeks, or even days away from rendering their decision in the McDonald v. Chicago lawsuit. As luck would have it, no fewer than three incidents occurred in the past couple of weeks where every day Chicago citizens used illegal handguns to put a stop to criminal activity on their property.

The first of these three incidents began tragically with the cold blooded murder of an off duty Chicago police officer by a gang of thugs right in front of his father's house. In response to the attack, the victim's father drew his own handgun and fired on the thugs - killing one. It doesn't take much of a stretch to say that the father's actions probably saved the lives of good guys.

The second, and very well publicized event, pitted an 80 year-old Korean War veteran against a gun-toting thug who was breaking into his house. The home owner used an illegal handgun to dispatch the career criminal as he came through a window. Again, the quick thinking of the armed citizen saved the lives of innocent people - namely the homeowner's wife and their great grandson.

Just days later, a criminal fleeing from the police dove through a window of a home in Chicago, only to be met on the other side by a citizen armed with an illegal handgun. You all know what happened next.

Each of these three stories illustrates well something we have known all along - the armed citizen is the best defense against criminal mayhem. Apparently, that same sentiment is fairly strong within the city as well. In a copyrighted story appearing in the the June 6 edition of the "Chicago Tribune," reporter Duaa Eldeib cites an independent estimate that as many as 100,000 otherwise law-abiding homes have handguns in violation of the city ordinance. Evidently there is a whole slew of Chicago citizens who subscribe to the old adage that, "...it's better to be tried by twelve than to be carried by six."

The public response to these three incidents of self defense has been pretty much one-sided. The case involving the Korean War vet generated world-wide interest with news here at home overwhelmingly positive. The image of an 80 year-old man successfully defending his family from a thug with a long history of violence is certainly a study in courage and heroism. Publicly attacking a hero for daring to own a handgun in violation of a city ordinance doesn't do much for one's credibility. Thus we haven't really heard a peep out of the gun control movement other than some vague references to a debunked study claiming that having a firearm in your home makes you 43 times more likely to be murdered.

The near silence on the part of the gun control movement shows only that they are smart enough to know that there was no way they could spin the story in their benefit. It would certainly be tough to argue that the vet and his family if he had been unarmed. We could have heard the tired anti gunner message that neither one should have had a gun - but is it really a good idea for an 80 year-old to go hand to hand with a 30 year old? No, we heard nothing from the gun-grabbers because they know nobody would listen to them. It's becoming abundantly clear that growing numbers of citizens have come to realize that the gun control movement's campaign is morally bankrupt - a sham.

Probably the most entertaining gun-related event in recent weeks was Mayor Daley's press conference calling for more gun control. As most of you know already, a reporter asked the mayor to comment on the seeming ineffectiveness of the city's gun ban. In response Daley threatened to insert the barrel of a prop gun into the reporter's rectum and fire a round.

All Freudian implications aside, the Mayor's outburst give us clearer insight into the Mayor's view on firearms and those who own them. It's evident that Daley sees firearms as tools of intimidation, domination and violence and, thus, firearm owners are violent people who seek to intimidate and dominate those around them. Well, at least that is what he would like the media to believe about firearm owners.

When it was all said and done, Daley's "up your butt" comment seriously backfired. From here on out, it will be difficult for anyone to take him seriously when he starts talking about guns - which is fine with me.

One last thing before I let you go. Please mark June 26th on your calendar and plan to attend the ISRA Range Open House! This will be our 8th Open House and we are doing everyhting we can to make it the best ever. As in the past, we'll have reps from all the major firearm manufacturers on hand so there'll be plenty of great guns for you to try out. So, make a date to come on out to the range on the 26th. The fun begins at 10 and things wind down at 4. For further information, please visit the ISRA web site at http://www.isra.org See you then!!