FUNDS GONE MISSING PUTS INTEGRITY OF ILLINOIS STATE RIFLE ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT AT ISSUE
By John Birch, President, Concealed Carry, Inc., PO BOX 4597, Oak Brook,
IL 60522-4597 Tel: 630 986-8550 Email: [email protected] Fax: 815
327-1152

WEB LINK: http://www.concealcarry.org/

Late last night Concealed Carry, Inc. was informed of credible
allegations of financial impropriety on the part of ISRA President
Richard Pearson. The document we now have in our possession is a
"Stipulation and Consent Order" issued by the Illinois Department of
Insurance against Richard A. Pearson and his agency "Shafer Pearson
Agency, Inc." Concealed Carry, Inc. has confirmed the authenticity of
this document with the State of Illinois.

**** SUMMARY OF ORDER AGAINST PEARSON:

The essence of the allegations are that Pearson withdrew funds
(commissions) he was not entitled to from a trust fund that was to hold
premium payments for his clients. The stipulation reads: "Therefore, the
Licensee (Pearson)...has misappropriated money required to be held in a
fiduciary capacity in violation of the Illinois Insurance Code."

The order against Pearson strips him from being allowed to accept cash
payments from his customers, puts severe constraints on the accounting
of checks from customers, and orders Pearson to pay $13,000 in civil
forfeiture. This is hardly a mere slap on the wrist.

The order is signed by both Richard A. Pearson and Nathaniel Shapo,
Director, Illinois Department of Insurance on August 10, 2000 and is
effective for five years.

**** THE COVER-UP:

Pearson attempted to block disclosure of this information by hiring
Attorney David Wheeler (SRZ Law Offices, One Prudential Plaza, Suite
3800, 130 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601 email:
[email protected]) to threaten legal action against anyone publishing
information about Pearson's legal troubles with the State of Illinois.
(NOTE: We understand this is the same law firmed hired by the ISRA that
crafted the new by-laws that essentially lock the membership out of even
choosing their own Board of Directors.)

Wheeler's letter reads in part: "Our law firm represents Mr. Richard A.
Pearson, President of the Illinois State Rifle Association." Does this
wording mean the ISRA is footing the bill for Pearson's personal legal
services?

Wheeler then goes on to demand the immediate cessation of publishing or
mailing the "Stipulation and Consent Order." The letter set a deadline
of July 6, 2001 for compliance and then threatens to take any and all
legal action necessary "to protect Mr. Person's (sic) personal privacy."
Presumably at ISRA member expense?

**** DO THE HONORABLE THING PRESIDENT PEARSON:

We are not ones to hold a personal indiscretion against anyone, heck, we
have committed many in the past ourselves. However this matter goes to
the very heart of the special trust and responsibility we place in our
ISRA President in the handling of several $100,000 of our money. Anyone
that cannot be trusted to handle cash transactions from his own
customers certainly cannot be trusted with our hard earned money, much
less with protecting our gun rights.

While we are certain the ISRA has checks and balances to prevent fraud,
Pearson has demonstrated a propensity to thwart such safeguards. This
leaves us with no confidence in Pearson exercising day to day control of
the ISRA and any attendant discretionary spending allowed by his office.

We formally request that ISRA President Richard A. Pearson immediately
resign from office. Further, we request that any member of the ISRA
board with knowledge of these allegations explain to the membership why
no action was taken by the board to investigate Mr. Pearson in this
serious matter of misappropriation of funds. Certainly we would hold out
that, by reason of lack of oversight, that no member of the current
board is qualified to assume the Presidency of the ISRA. (NOTE: No one
from Concealed Carry, Inc. is interested in the job either.)

To clean up the ISRA will require bringing in a qualified outsider. Such
a man we believe to be former NRA Director, retired police officer,
noted gun safety instructor and civil rights activist, Mr. Leroy Pyle
(email: [email protected]). (NOTE: Concealed Carry, Inc. did not consult
with Mr. Pyle prior to making this unsolicited nomination for his
services and he may want nothing to do with cleaning up this mess. We
think he's the man for the job in any case.)

Should Pearson refuse to resign, the ISRA Board is requested to take
such action as allowed by the by-laws to fully investigate and then act
on all substantiated allegations regarding Pearson's fitness for office.

Until that time, it is suggested that anyone contemplating a donation of
funds or membership in the ISRA do so with some prior introspection.

**** A RAPID CONCLUSION CALLED FOR:

This matter must be concluded quickly so that Illinois' premiere gun
rights organization can get on with the important business of getting
our lost gun rights back. As for Mr. Pearson, we would hope he would be
satisfied to continue on as a proud ISRA member working in the grass
roots of the gun rights movement. Mr. Pearson still has much to offer
the gun rights community from a position other than the presidency of
the ISRA.

**** A NOTE TO THOSE WOULD GUN CONTROL US OUT OF EXISTENCE:

In no way should you think this incident lessens our resolve in the war
for liberty and freedom. We stand stronger today and will be stronger
tomorrow. You may enjoy our current discomfiture, but take no joy in
thinking our capacity to clean our own house in anyway weakens our
movement.

**** TO THE READER:

We suggest Mr. Pearson may need some polite (and I emphasize the word
POLITE) assistance in doing the right thing. He can be contacted at:
Tel: (815) 635-3198 Fax: (815) 635-3723 Email: [email protected]
Snail-Mail: PO Box 637, Chatsworth, IL 60921-0637

As the bearer of bad news it would not surprise us if it were our ISRA
membership that ends up being revoked. So be it. Readers, you may peruse
the documents in our possession at:

ORDER AGAINST PEARSON:
http://www.concealcarry.org/pearson.pdf

LETTER FROM ATTORNEY WHEELER:
http://www.concealcarry.org/wheeler.pdf

Copyright Concealed Carry, Inc., 2001. Permission to republish the above
by anyone, especially the ISRA Illinois Shooter, is expressly and freely
given as long as the entire contents, to include this footer, are not
altered nor edited in any manner.

[b]Shame on all of you that voted for the Old Guard in the ISRA election.[/b]

[:O]

But wasn't the "old guard" voted in because the members were pissed that John Birch and his buddies threatened to release ISRA membership info to the anti-gun groups? ISRA bylaw info was also threatenend. And those were just two of a number of disturbing things listed.

Hmmm...and as a supporter of the ISRA, last week I renewed my membership for another year.

If all allegations against Pearson are true, then I think he should stand down as President.

Yes, and other disinformation that was spread by the ISRA in order to protect the old guard.  Ironically since the old guard was re-elected and the by-laws amended, it will be nearly immpossible to remove anyone from the board including the president.  So again for all the people who voted for them and bought the BS that the ISRA made up about John Birch and the rest of the Vision Team, welcome to the New ISRA.

Illinois Shooter vol. XXXVII No. 4, pages 16 & 17 show side-by-side ads for and against the Vision Team. Both ads are pretty compelling but apparantly the "Old Guard" made a more compelling argument.

[img]http://www.hunting-pictures.com/members/Wadman/ISRA1.jpg[/img]

[i]THIS[/i] is the opposition for Daley's gun grabbers?

Illinois is fucked, your only hope is that the Feds come to rescue you with some positive court decisions.

You cant even agree to defend yourselves...

I give the concealcarry guys this, they do have some balls.  Balls enough to get attacking in the anti-gun city. Fucking with the fest.  
Balls enough to stand with fags in their parade, and their group the pink pistols.   I could not see the old guard in boys town, no figgin way.  The ISRA strength is down south. Majority of the group is south of I-80.  Chicago people dont give a fuck.  
I do agree with the old guard on getting more ranges developed.  That is definatly needed in this State. Tired of shooting indoors, or having to drive 1 1/2hrs away.

c-rock
www.illinois-shooter.org

And to be fair, here's the other ad:

[img]http://www.hunting-pictures.com/members/Wadman/ISRA2.jpg[/img]


It's not like the antis aren't bad enough in Illinois. Can't two vocal and dedicated groups figure something else out? I know it's easier for the antis because they only want one thing; ban all guns. But criminy!