In spite of the news media calling the Presidential Election for Joe Biden, votes are still being counted and re-counted.  At this point, lawsuits are being filed in several states by the Trump Campaign questioning the results.  President Trump owes this to his supporters.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reports over 3.3 million background checks were performed in the month of October.  While many of those were for new or renewal Concealed Carry Licenses, the NSSF estimated about 1,100,000 background checks were for firearm purchases.  The number of new gun owners in the United States is estimated to be around 6.9 million.  To get a perspective on how many people, that is the states of Indiana and Tennessee which have about 6.9 million citizens each.  Let’s hope this trend continues.  At the risk of making everyone sick, the next Election is only two years away. 

In approximately 100 hours Election Day will be here.  President Trump has been barnstorming in the critical swing states like Pennsylvania, Arizona and Michigan.  For gun owners it is all on the line.  If Joe Biden wins, which it looks like he just might, gun owners are in for a fight for their lives.  If President Trump wins, we will see the anti-gun emphasis swing back to the states.  In Illinois that is nothing new. Go vote.

October has a Blue Moon on the 31st.  The harvest season is well underway and by the 31st most of the crops will be out.  The weather will be turning cold and the deer will be in the rut.  These are perfect conditions for encountering one of these creatures with the front end of your vehicle.  Deer accidents can occur anywhere but they most often happen near streams, bridges and wherever there is cover.   They really like to move when the moon is high so the next couple of weeks will be busy.

September broke another record for background checks and gun sales.  There were 2,892,115 background checks.  Many of the background checks were for concealed carry permits.  The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), who analyzes firearm data, estimates that gun sales for September were about 1,614,000 firearms.  While this is record setting, there probably would have been more sales if more firearms were available.  

The number of days until the General Election are dwindling down to a precious few.  I don’t mind telling you I have the brassy taste of fear in my mouth over this election.  Every gun owner better vote and vote the right way.  To that end, my wife and I ordered mail in ballots.  I voted and mailed in my ballot last Monday.  Dropping my ballot in the mail gave me pause I have to admit.  The ballot left my hands properly addressed but that doesn’t mean it will arrive.  I don’t know that I will do that again.  Voting in person certainly gives me a higher confidence level.  Still, I wanted to vote once by mail to see what it was like.