We defend your right to defend yourself. GUN NEWS SECOND AMENDMENT NEW S FOR THE ST A TE OF ILL I NO is A ND BEYOND PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY GUNS SAVE LIFE VOLUME 20, NUMBER 12 DECEMBER 2014 AFF I L ia TED W I TH THE JEW S FOR THE PRE S ER va T I ON OF FI RE A RM S OWNER S H ip , THE CiviLiaN MA RK S M A N S H ip PROGR A M , THE NRA, THE ISRA, THE ILL I NO is FEDER A T I ON FOR OUTDOOR RE S OURCE S , A ND OTHER S RAUNER WINS (Guns Save Life) - November 4th was a gun issue, making general statements in good day for Illinois gun owners. favor of gun rights without campaigning on the issue. Anti-gun stalwart Pat Quinn went down to defeat at the hands of political newcomer The consensus among gun rights insiders Bruce Rauner. Gun owners turned out in seems to be that Rauner can be counted impressive numbers to help accomplish on to veto anything bad that arrives on his this. desk. This is a welcome backstop and change from the last 12 years in Illinois, To listen to the candidates, guns were under successive anti-gun governors. not a major issue in this campaign, but gun owners knew better. Quinn had a The credible threat of a veto also discour- proven track record of hostility to gun ages legislators from making anti-gun owners. He had pushed a scary gun ban votes, knowing that they will take political and a magazine ban, both of which came damage without actually gaining anything within a couple of votes of landing on his for sticking their political necks out. desk. He would surely have signed them immediately. With the Rauner win, gun owners still should not quit pushing, but they can Quinn also was instrumental in shaping breathe a bit easier. the new Illinois concealed carry law, making it as tough as possible to get a The legislature, however, has not changed permit (high training requirements and significantly regarding the number or high fees) and encouraging a ridiculously pro-rights and anti-rights votes in each long list of prohibited areas. chamber. Gun owners will need to stay constantly vigilant to make sure there are When it came time to campaign, however, no legislative surprises waiting for us. All Photo by Oleg Volk. Used with permission. Quinn didn’t seem very proud of his anti- gun owners are urged to attend IGOLD - gun stances, rarely mentioning them. Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day - on March 18, 2015. Candidate Rauner, too, downplayed the Big wins for freedom and gun rights abound in this issue! December 2014 Guns Save Life Meetings PRE-SORT STD. U.S. POSTAGE P A I D PERMIT NO. 51 PEORIA, IL More Election News Page 2 • Champaign: Second Tuesday of month: Tues., Dec. 9th Fluid Events, 601 N. Country Fair Drive, Champaign, IL 61821 SAF Fights for IL Page 8 • Pontiac: First Tuesday of month: Tuesday, Dec. 2nd Pontiac VFW Post 886, 531 W. Lincoln Ave., Pontiac, Illinois 61764 Backup Guns • Effingham: First Thurs. of the month: Thursday, Dec. 4th Page 12 Effingham County Sportsmen’s Club, 14295 N. 1025th Street, Effingham, IL 62401 Armed American • Peoria: First Thurs. of the month: Thursday, Dec. 4th Page 15 Peoria Pizza Works, 3921 N. Prospect, Peoria Heights, IL 61616 “A Republic, If You Eric St. Pierre, President Guns Save Life.com Box 51 P.O. 61874 IL Savoy, Dinner, conversation, exhibits at 5:00 p.m. Meetings at 7 p.m. Can Keep It” Page 16 Come on out and join us. The public is encouraged to attend! Anti-Hunters Defeated Good food and good friends. It’s a lot of fun too! Page 18 Meetings are free and open to public. Dinner is optional. Burma-style highway sign count: GUNS SAVE LIFE.com 24 sets, 10 counties, two states. 500,000+ sightings per day, 182+ million per year A different type of Guns Save Life big “gun” Champaign-Urbana GSL Champaign Meeting John Boch, as immediate past president, November 11, 2014 filled us in on the current political and social Fluid Events Center, Champaign, IL. events that bear on us as gun owners. He opened by thanking the veterans on this Before the meeting Veteran’s Day, and by wishing, one day Before 7 pm, there was a lot for folks to late, a belated happy 239th birthday to the do. Those that wished partook of an early US Marine Corps. Thanksgiving dinner, turkey with all the fix- ings. A nice display of crossbows was set Politics What does this election mean? out from Hunter’s Haven, in anticipation of BREATHING ROOM. Nationally, with the the evening’s Tech Time. Folks visited and US Senate going to the Republicans, gun Cole Thompson brought off several crossbows to the November GSL meeting for chatted, looked over a nice looking array of control at the national level is officially our Tech Time presentation. He explained the differences in crossbows, how to door prizes, and had the opportunity to buy a dead duck. The Global Gun Control achieve better accuracy, and now not to blow up your crossbow. into several gun raffles going on, as well Treaty? Ratification of that is going no- as GSL’s monthly gun drawing. Giveaway where. Could something happen, either by opportunities included the Mulberry Grove executive action, or something cooked up Aces Youth Shooting Team fundraiser, a by ATF? We will have to wait and see. regional veteran’s memorial, and Chapin Rose, raising money for his State Senate Illinois Politics OPPORTUNITIES! With campaign committee with a raffle featur- Quinn losing, his anti-gun bully pulpit is ing an AR 15, a Colt Mustang XSP, and gone. So are neighborhood Recover a Chief AJ Slingbow. GSL merchandise Initiative –style state grants to promote gun was also on sale, and t shirt and sweatshirt control. When Quinn is gone, so too will sales were brisk with Christmas coming up. most of his appointees be gone. Many of (There’s one more shopping meeting before these people were philosophically aligned Christmas!) with Quinn’s anti-gun positions. Opening Remarks There are huge opportunities for us with At 7 pm, GSL President Bear St. Pierre the Rauner administration. Rauner doesn’t opened the meeting with the Pledge of Al- hate guns. Even if he doesn’t like guns legiance to the flag, followed by introduction as much as most of us, he’s not going to of first time guests. May you all become be hell-bent on creating obstacles and prob- regulars! lems for gun owners like Quinn (see some of the arbitrary and capricious rule-making From left, J.T. Thiems, Holly Thiems and Cara Thiems from the Mulberry Grove Executive Secretary regarding the new concealed carry law, for Aces shooting team talk about their big gun drawing with Olivia Miller before the Bear then reported on some changes that instance). Rauner’s pen won’t run out of meeting. Guns Save Life sponsored the high school trap-shooting team with are coming for GSL. As the organization ink signing every gun control bill that lands ammunition and other expenses relating to the roughly two dozen members to has become bigger, demands on volun- on his desk. compete. teer’s time have become almost too much. After several months of consideration, at In the Illinois legislature, there was no the last GSL Board meeting, the Board change. We lost one good pro-gun friend, approved the creation of a part-time, paid but he was replaced with another A-rated position of Executive Secretary. This candidate. We still have the slight pro-gun person will handle memberships, renewals, edge we’ve had, and if the worst happens necessary paperwork, billing for ads for our and an anti-gun bill leaks through due to a newspaper and website, and other duties defection or three, Boch said he believes as assigned. The Board hopes to interview Rauner will prove to be our backstop. Anti- candidates and have someone hired and on gunners will be hesitant to make politically the job by December 1. unpopular votes if Rauner is going to veto the legislation anyway. One Volunteer – One Job Something else the Board will be imple- Our worst immediate threat is the veto ses- Ticket sales were brisk at the drawing table menting will be to actively recruit new volun- sion and lame-duck session. The anti-gun- ahead of the meeting. Next month is our teers to take over some duties that have ners know that these will be their last real Great Guns VI drawing for an FN PS90 and been doubled up. John Naese will be con- chance to push through more gun control. a Keltec KSG shotgun. Another gun destined for a centrating on GunNews, so the position of We have good reason to be optimistic; just Sign Chair is open. Please consider what don’t get complacent. Be ready to burn up boating accident John Boch won the Ruger 10/22 that was you can do and if you might be able to head those phone lines if they try anything funny our monthly drawing gun at the November up this important GSL outreach. As Chair, between now and mid-January. 2014 GSL meeting in Champaign. Mr. Boch you do not necessarily have to singlehand- has been terribly unfortunate in his boat- edly take care of all the signs. What we’ve State Senator Chapin Rose ing endeavors, suffering multiple accidents got in mind is someone to organize the Because Senator Rose was in attendance, where guns and ammo were lost to the bot- volunteers, see that they have the materi- after giving his political report, Mr.