Our next show is November 2nd & 3rd from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Exposition Gardens, Peoria, IL.  Call Bill Fritz if you want a table, or to cancel for this show.  Bill's phone number is (309) 274-2977 or write him at P.O. Box 527 Chillicothe, IL 61523.  Bill has a recording machine, which will accept your call if he is unavailable.

Bloomington Gun Show
Mark your calendars for our first Bloomington Gun Show on Dec 7th and 8th at the Interstate Center.  This should be a great show, but we need the support of our members.  We need you to show up and bring your friends to make this show a success.  We will be adding maps and more info to our website soon.  Contact Bill Fritz for tables.

Stop at the membership table at this show, or mail in your request for your 2003 membership and/or range pass.  The membership fee is $10.00 and a range pass is an additional $15.00.  Please make the check payable to the Midwest Gun Collectors Association.  Mail application and checks to Ed King, P.O. Box 1242 Bloomington, IL 61701.  If you know someone who may want to join, please contact Ed for applications.  We also require that members who skip a year's membership will have to pay for the previous year when renewing their membership.

Range Info
Remember that the range is closed during cleanup on Thursdays.  We are considering an archery range but want to know what our members think.  Please contact Greg Crank at (309) 248-7068 or send an email to webmaster@peoriagunshow.com with your thoughts.
We would like to thank the several sponsors who were at the range on the September 28th.  Here are the sponsors and their phone numbers.  Springfield Armory (800) 680-6866, Grayboy Kawasaki (309) 685-6824, Pekin Gun (309) 347-6060.  There was also a custom earplug vendor, but I’ll have to add his contact info to the next newsletter.

Get out and Vote!!!!
November 5th is Election Day.  Don’t complain about the outcome of an election if you don’t take the time to vote for your elected officials.  We saw the importance of each vote in the 2000 election.  The Florida presidential race was just one of several very close races.

We will have police protection during show hours, but you are responsible for your merchandise.

Quote of the Quarter
For this quote of the quarter I wanted to find definitive quotes from Ryan and Blagojevich that would illustrate their positions on guns.  Since I had trouble nailing down their views, I thought this quote from the Chicago Sun Times was appropriate. Jim Vinopal, chairman of the Illinois State Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund, had this to say.  "Jim Ryan has never given us good reason to support him," Vinopal said. "He hasn't been as vehemently anti-gun as Blagojevich. . . . If we do decide to endorse anyone, [Ryan] is the only option we have."

Mike Fritz