Latest Springfield Armory Press Release

From the SA blog.

The Executive Director of the Illinois Firearm Manufacturers Association (IFMA)without our prior knowledge and against our principles and those of the industry as a whole with respect to the Gun Dealer Licensing Act. We no longer have confidence in IFMA and after speaking to other directors we have made the decision to sever all ties with the organization, effective immediately.

I take full responsibility for my failure of oversight in this case and deeply apologize to my employees, customers and industry partners for the distraction and divisiveness this situation has caused within our tight-knit community. Our industry has always stood strong and fought fiercely together in the past and I am personally committed to defeating this harmful legislation. To that end, I have pledged to the NRA that we will bring the full resources of my company to bear in this fight.

We are not new to this battle, Springfield Armory has fought and defeated legislation like this in Illinois for decades. We are wholeheartedly against this bill and will fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the NRA, National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Illinois State Rifle Association and others to see it defeated as the unnecessary and harmful overreach that it is.

We want to assure all Americans, like us, who fight to protect the Second Amendment that we and our industry partners will leave no stone unturned to defeat this bill.

Stefany Reese, PR & Communications Manager
Springfield Armory, Inc.
stefanyr@springfield-armory.com
309-944-8994

aaaaand the IFMA is done.

Latest Rock River Arms Release

They're doing the smart thing:

New RRA statement on IFMA

For immediate release: May 2, 2017
After further review, Rock River Arms, Inc.® (RRA) is immediately severing all ties with the Illinois Firearms Manufacturers Association (IFMA). We feel that IFMAs integrity is compromised and we will not be a part of the organization. We trusted that contributions and resources provided to IFMA by RRA were
being used to promote and uphold our 2nd Amendment values. IFMAs actions have destroyed that trust.

For more than twenty years, RRA has actively opposed gun control legislation at the local, state, and federal levels. We have supported and provided monetary and product donations to multiple pro-gun organizations including NRA, NSSF, ISRA and countless others. We have attended rallies and spoken at educational events on behalf of gun owners rights. Our employees have collected signatures, written letters and e-mails, called legislators offices, as well as attended events, meetings and hearings in Springfield, Illinois.

What we learned, however, was that we are better at manufacturing firearms and accessories than playing political games at the state capitol. So, we began to utilize the services of lobbyists, first through other organizations and then in 2009, we partnered with several other manufacturers to form IFMA.
Prior to our further review, we believed that the organization had accurately represented us. We feel that IFMAs actions have compromised its integrity. While their actions may be standard practices at the capitol, backdoor politics and convoluted deal-making are counter to the way we do business and lead
our lives.

I sincerely apologize for my lack of direct engagement in IFMAs governance and subsequent actions, as well as the abandonment gun owners are feeling.
If you have any questions regarding, or need more information about, this statement or RRAs position, please contact: Sarah Larson, RRA General Manager at 309-792-5780.

Thank you,Chuck LarsonPresident/OwnerRock River Arms, Inc.

Not Going Well For SpringField Arms and Rock River Armory

Even after their press releases, it just keeps on getting uglier.  Turns out their lobbying firm\lobbyist (of which they are the sole members) have been giving campaign donations to hardcore anti-gunners in this state including Cullerton and Madigan.

Some of those funds went to support other anti-gun politicians in their campaigns against pro-rights contenders.

For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Arie Friedman. I'm the Friedman from the Friedman vs Highland Park assault weapons ban court case that ultimately got rejected for appeal by the Supreme Court. Additionally, I ran for Illinois State Senate (29th District) in 2012 as a pro-2nd Amendment candidate against now State Senator Julie Morrison who is an adamant gun grabber. 2012 was not a good year for Republicans in Illinois but I raised a large amount of money, campaigned non-stop and came closer to winning than many other highly competitive GOP candidates that year. My opponent, on the other hand, had difficulty raising money and was an extremely lackluster campaigner. As a result, she received numerous large infusions of cash directly from democrat State Senate President John Cullerton. Without that money, I believe she would possibly have lost the election. Now it turns out that some of that democrat campaign slush fund cash came from Springfield Arms and Rock River Armory via their lobbying arm, the Illinois Firearm Manufacturers Association:

About the only thing SA and RRA can do at this point to save face is to cut all ties w/ the IFMA or can the lobbyist immediately.

Springfield Armory Statement on Dealer Licensing Bill UPDATE

Springfield Armory has always fought hand-in-hand with the NRA, NSSF, ISRA and many others for legislation that fiercely protects the Second Amendment, individual rights and the industry as a whole. Our fight continues today as some members of the Illinois legislature are pushing to overregulate the industry through Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB1657). 
“At the time of my initial statement to the media, I was ill-informed of the ramifications of this bill and its detrimental effects to the Second Amendment, which I have personally fought to protect my entire life. I can tell you now, we at Springfield Armory are unequivocally 100 percent against this bill and will continue to work with the NRA and others to ensure that it is defeated,” said Dennis Reese, Chief Executive Officer, Springfield Armory.
Springfield Armory, like Rock River Arms, was not aware of the actions taken by our trade association, IFMA, until after the fact. We take this situation very seriously and are looking into how this very unfortunate lapse in communication occurred.
Springfield Armory has fought and defeated legislation like this in Illinois for the past 15 years. We are wholeheartedly against this bill and will fight to see it defeated as the unnecessary and harmful overreach that it is.

---

Stefany Reese, PR & Communications Manager
Springfield Armory, Inc.
stefanyr@springfield-armory.com309-944-8994

Hopefully the dumbass in charge of the IFMA loses his job/funding over this.

UPDATE: RRA release available here. Says about the same thing.

Ancient Dread: Phantom MVP

Continued:

We move to the flame symbol. The cover is warmer but not scalding. Opening it, warm, dry air comes out. The tunnel, as before, is dark and requiries crawling. The heat increases as I move forward. The hatch at the bottom is warmer still. I open the hatch. On the wall, opposite to to the tunnel, is a grate. The podium, as in the other rooms, is centered. Rod expands to look into the grate. Heat is considerable from it w/ an orange light at the far end, about 20 feet. Rod volunteers to go down the tunnel but Echo suggests sending a phantom. It reports a bright orange room surrounded by about 5' of lava. Easily enough, Echo commands the Phantom to retrieve the key. The key turns. The mural shifts.

The dashed lines. We open the cover. The air is refreshingly cool and pleasant. Moving down the tunnel, I move the the panel aside and look out. There is an archway at the other end. Past the archway is a web, about 20 feet long and ten feet across. On the far side is a cave like room filled w/ stalagtites and stalagmites. We send the phantom forward. Inhuman screams in the distance. The phantom returns, severely wounded. It had fought a giant cave spider and defeated it. We send the phantom back to retrieve the key then dismiss it. The key turns. The mural shifts.

The infinity symbol. Cool air and damp. The dais is octagonal instead of just round. A rope bridge on the far end. No railings. Echo, the most nimble of us, even for a human, crosses and ties a rope for the rest of us to cross safely. An ice elemental and the dias are the anchors. The far room is a huge octagon, two steps down is water. Hanging from the ceiling and covering much of the steps are vines, bluish-green in color. The party crosses over. There is some movement in the water, what it is we're not sure. The air is thicker than in the entrance room. Rod summons a Shadow Beast to search the waters. We send both the creatures in and they get attacked by multiple serpentine creatures. Rod and Echo recall their beasts. Several of the eels are floating dead on the surface but more are still there. Rod casts a portal into the pool, draining it into the cavern behind us. Several eels follow. The rest are left swimming in the few feet of water that remains. A lower portal drains the rest of the water and many more eels, the last flopping around in the few inches of remaining water. Echo sends the ice elemental in to send the rest of the eels into the portal and search for the key. We discover the key inside one of the large eels. A quick vivisection gets the key. The key turns. The mural shifts.

To be continued.

Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms Screw IL Gun Owners UPDATE

 

I'm not a fan of TTAG but even a broken clock is right twice a day.  In this case, IL legislators are trying to shut down FFL's through arbitrary licensing, fees, and regulation.  Having forgotten the lessons from S&W selling out to the Clinton administration back in 2000 , they removed their opposition to the licensing bill w/ a promise of exemption for them and big box stores.

The CEO's statement to TTAG ain't helping:

“The legislative process is a fluid process. The bill has only moved through one chamber, and it is still in the process. We fully support the Second Amendment and stand by it. The Illinois Manufacturers Association will continue to fight and protect not only manufacturers, but dealers and the gun owner as well.”

sales@springfield-armory.com
https://www.facebook.com/SpringfieldArmoryUSA/
Springfield Armory
(309) 944-5631

Rock River Arms
(309) 792-5780

More from IllinoisCarry.

Even more from GSL.  

"In short, I don't believe Rock River had any contact with the IFMA lobbyist while this went down.  They trusted him to represent their interests.  Their trust does not seem well placed.
Springfield, on the other hand, is joined at the hip with Keller.  Springfield is tripling down on stupid despite the pressure."

A Modest Proposal

In Illinois everything is taxed, licensed, fee-ed, etc.... That is except legislators.  This should change.  Here is my proposal.

$1,000 fee on every bill or resolution introduced.
$500 fee on every amendment added.
$100 fee on every sponsor.
$50 fee on every co-sponsor.

An argument I heard in favor of state licensing for firearm dealers is that hairdressers, construction workers, pretty much every other profession, is licensed.

So why shouldn't legislators?

They should have testing in Federal and State Constitutional issues, public safety, education, and every topic they propose legislation on.  Each additional topic can be added as an endorsement and the legislator can then propose legislation on that topic.

Of course fees would be required to obtain the license and endorsements.

Revenue generated from these fees will be used for schools in the legislator's district.

Obviously any politician who would oppose this proposal is against the education of children.

Crime In Chicago: One More Reason Why

You know that saying used by gun nuts and derided by gun control activists "Enforce the laws on the books"?

 Case in point..

Simone Mousheh, 23, pleaded guilty Thursday to the illegal transfer of firearms in exchange for 12 months probation and 15 days in the Cook County sheriff's work alternative program, according to court records. S.W.A.P. allows judges to sentence nonviolent offenders to manual labor in lieu of jail time. She was also ordered to pay $679 in fines.

So she bought the guns, reported them 'stolen', then sold them to known gang-bangers and prohibited persons, one of which was recovered from a juvenile offender.

Yeah, that'll teach her. I'm sure all the other straw purchasers are shaking in their boots.

Aren't you glad that we're so well protected by the State and can rely on their protection from criminals?

Gun Control Journalism In a Nutshell

From the keyboard of Laura Washington, long-time gun hater:

I write, often harshly, about The People of the Gun. I harbor a dim view of Second Amendment advocates. With each new shooting in Chicago, I have become more terrified of guns and the people who carry them.

It’s time I actually met one.

So years of hatred and vilification of firearm owners and, according to her, she's never actually talked to one until recently

There's words for that.... what are they again?

OGRE: BreakThrough (Round 1)

Sometimes teaching is hard.  To shake things up a bit and get my new(er) players out of the ' rush forward and kill everything' mentality, I put CinC and 4PA against each other in a classic 'BreakThrough' scenario w/ the G-1 map. I even had them use the 'Classic' counters just for fun. 

The object: A fast moving attacking force needs to break through a weakly defended point of the line.  Attackers need to get as many units off the North side of the board as quickly as possible.  The Defender needs to stop/delay them as much as possible. This was clearly (and regularly) explained at the beginning.

CinC took the attacker's role:  12 GEV's.

4PA as the defender.  6 armor units and 20 pts of infantry
2 Howitzers (2 au ea)
2 Heavy Tanks
16 Infantry (5 units of three squads and one 1)
2 Heavy Weapons Teams (2 pts ea)

Defender sets up w/ his pieces 'camouflaged' before attacker enters on the South end of the board.

Obviously thinking 'defend these units' and not 'stop the enemy from getting across'. 

Turn 1:  NAC forces (black) move in in 2 groups of five along the SE road and river and one group of two along the Western road. 

PE forces (white) revealed.

PE shifts a few infantry into the woods but otherwise no action:

An experienced attacker at this point would have redirected the Eastern forces all along the streambed and to the Western road, completely avoiding the poor howitzer placement. This is not what happened however.

Turn 2: NAC western GEV's continue up the road.  The two Eastern teams split up, some continuing North, some heading NW.

A PE Heavy Weapons team gets in range and disables a GEV.

Turn 3: NAC gets two GEV's off the map. Three others make a dash for the road. The remaining 8 run straight into the range of the Howitzers and infantry. They do manage to take out the two Heavy Weapons teams.
The PE forces kill three GEV's and disable two others.

Turn 4: NAC maneuvers, the three western GEV's trying to get off the board, the others trying to get out of range of the howitzers.
PE Heavy tanks take out two of the Western GEV's. An overrun by infantry kill the two disabled GEV's w/ a loss of two squads. 

Turn 5: Endgame.
NAC gets a GEV off the board.  The last two fall to a Heavy and a Howitzer. 

Total points: NAC 36  PE 54.  Marginal Defender Victory

Afterwards I explained how to improve their game.  Next time I'm thinking of switching their roles and/or the map.  The boy wants a 'Train' scenario so that is another option.