As you may already know, the campaign to restore your 2nd Amendment rights took a big step forward yesterday when the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear McDonald v. Chicago – the Illinois State Rifle Association's lawsuit to overturn Chicago's handgun ban.

The road ahead for McDonald v. Chicago will be long and tedious. Here are what we believe will be important milestones:

1. By late November 2009, briefs from our side must be submitted to the court.

2. Chicago will be given time to offer its reply and we will be given the opportunity to rebut Chicago's reply.

3. Oral arguments in the case are expected to commence in January 2010.

4. A decision in the case is expected sometime in June of 2010.

Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules in this case, the battle to preserve and protect your right to keep and bear arms will not be over. If the Supreme Court rules in our favor, the gun control movement will surely respond by trying to pass all sorts of gun control laws that they will claim are “reasonable” and keeping with the spirit of the Supreme Court's decision.

If the Supreme Court rules against us in this case, you better believe that the gun control movement will pull out all the stops in its campaign to obliterate the Second Amendment and your right to own guns for lawful purposes. They will be emboldened, motivated, well funded, and eager to come take your guns away from you.

No matter how the court rules, a strong and united gun-owning public is the best defense against the extremist gun control movement.

Here are the things that YOU need to do, NOW, to preserve and protect your gun rights.

1. Join the Illinois State Rifle Association (http://isra.org/join/) today, and convince at least one friend to join as well.
2. Make a generous donation so that we may continue the fight to protect your gun rights tomorrow, and in the years to come, remember, the fight for freedom, isn't free!
Donate on-line here, or over the phone at 815-635-8198.  If you would like to mail or fax a donation, we have a printable form here.

3. Stay tuned for further alerts on this topic.

4. Post this alert to all internet blogs and bulletin boards to which you belong. Also, pass this alert on to your gun owning friends and fellow sporting club members. Ask them to forward this alert to their friend far and wide. Although the suit targets the local ordinance in Chicago, the implications of incorporation of the 2nd Amendment are national in scope.