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Posted on 12/03/2001 11:32:51 AM PST by tarawa
ISRA: Daley Administration Attacks Trapshooting;
Jeopardizing $40M In Economic Development For Southern Illinois
To: State Desk
Contact: Richard Pearson of the Illinois State Rifle
Association (ISRA), 815-635-3198
Web Site: http://www.isra.org
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Nov. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
As expected, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine flexed their political muscles in an attempt to impede development of a world-class trap shooting facility in southern Illinois.
Earlier this year, the prestigious Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) announced that it would move its headquarters and museum from Vandalia, Ohio to a location near Sparta, Ill.
The new 1,300-acre headquarters would include state-of-the-art trapshooting, skeet shooting, and sporting clays facilities. The site would also host the renowned Grand American trapshooting tournament beginning in 2004.
The ATA's move to Sparta would provide a much-needed shot in the arm to the local economy with an initial boost of approximately $40 million. Additional long-term economic benefits would come in the form of tourist dollars and jobs for local residents.
Politically motivated meddling on the part of Daley and Devine placed Sparta's good fortune in jeopardy. In order for the ATA facility to be successful, certain improvements to the Illinois Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Act would be required. Such improvements would allow out-of-state residents to purchase ammunition while taking part in competitive events at the ATA facility. Without such improvements to the FOID Act, the ATA facility might not be viable.
In testimony before a Senate committee today, lobbyists representing Daley and Devine expressed their unequivocal opposition to these reasonable improvements to the FOID Act. Later, from the floor of the House, Daley political allies made unsubstantiated claims that implementing the proposed improvements would lead to more crime and violence on our streets.
In its wisdom, the Illinois House voted 90 to 23 today in favor of implementing these important improvements to the FOID Act.
"The improvements to the FOID Act passed today by the House will greatly benefit law-abiding trap shooters while in no way hindering the state's ability to keep guns out of the hands of criminals," commented ISRA president Richard Pearson. "We fully expected Daley and Devine to run interference against these proposed improvements. Woefully unable to contain violent crime in Chicago, Daley and Devine would have liked the good people of Sparta to take it on the chin."
"For years we've heard Daley administration officials crow about how they support hunters and sportsmen," continued Pearson. "But when the world's foremost trapshooting association seeks beneficial improvements to the FOID Act, Daley and his cronies do all they can to interfere. The Daley administration's testimony before the Senate today is yet another expression of Daley's promise that, if it were up to him, nobody would have guns.
"I'd say that the 90-23 vote today in the Democratically- controlled House will serve as a painful reminder to Mayor Daley that not all share his disdain for the shooting sports and the people who practice them."
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The ISRA is Illinois state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For nearly a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of over 1.5 million law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
Lots of heavy discussion over there
I hope more and more people are seeing the danger of the "I don't shoot a ___, so I don't care it they outlaw 'em" mentality. Today's "sniper rifle" is tommorrow's deer rifle. Ditto shotguns.... a trained shooter with a bag of shells and a common skeet or trap gun can do as much damage to a crowd of people as a gunman with a full-auto weapon. No category of firearm is safe from the grabbers.
It's really sad that liberals have to attack legitimate sports to promote their greed inspired agendas.Heck, we had trap shooting in 4-H summer camp, and as long as you could hold the shotgun up,you were in.
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Gun haters will say whatever to get their way. Join the cause and sign a petition for enforcement of the 2nd Amendment to John Ashcroft. If Ashcroft enforces this with California the effects are sure to spread nationwide. Go to this internet site:
http://www.keepandbeararms.com/Petition/
Not being a hunter, I cannot speak for them. But, I do know, that many trapshooters (majority being mature men), are very concerned about Second Amendment rights.
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