July is somehow slipping away and we are in the dog days of summer.  We have a while yet but Fall is creeping upon us.  Sunday marks the beginning of hunting season.  If you are a first-time buyer of a hunting license, get it now.  The IDNR has had a few glitches in its new licensing system.  To err is human but to really screw things up, computerize it.  I remember going down to the hardware store and Shirley or Virgil would sell you a hunting or fishing license on the spot.  You could also get hooks, bobbers, fishing line, shotgun shells or .22s and be out the door in a few minutes.  We sure have improved things, haven’t we?  Federal Duck Stamps are out for the 2021-2022 season.  The regular stamp has a lesser scaup drake on it and the junior stamp features a pair of hooded mergansers.  Duck stamps raise about 40 million dollars a year for conservation.  Don’t forget to buy them. 

The National Rifle and Pistol Matches are being held in two locations this year, Camp Perry, Ohio, and Camp Atterbury, Indiana.  Our senior Smallbore Team, the ISRA Sunshine Boys, was first among State Associations at Atterbury, Indiana.  This year, all teams were lumped together; the civilian amateur teams were in with the professional pistol teams.  The ISRA had six teams which finished in the middle of the pack.  All in all, good considering how the teams were all together. 

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today filed an important amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting a challenge of New York State’s restrictive concealed carry permitting scheme by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association.

Sunday August 1, 2021, will be the beginning of squirrel season in Illinois.  This will kick off the Fall hunting seasons.  There are those who turn their nose up at eating squirrel but they have never had these little bushy-tails well prepared.  They are delicious.  Once when I was hunting with my wife’s uncle who was an avid squirrel hunter, I brought three bushy tails home.  That night we were having friends over for dinner.  I carefully prepared the squirrels, boned them, diced up the meat and put it on top of a pizza.  While we were eating dinner, our friends commented on how good the pizza was.  When I told them that I put squirrel meat on as a topping, they stopped eating the pizza.  It’s the thought that counts.  For those hunters who have not gotten their FOID card renewed, you need not worry about being stopped by the Conservation Police, it does not matter.  Make sure you have your Illinois Hunting License because that does matter.

As predicted, the 4th of July violence broke out in Chicago despite extra police presence in certain parts of the city.  The rough totals for the weekend were 108 shot and 17 dead.  Actually, that was much less than I expected.  In the South Austin area, a gunman opened fire on three people, killing one of them and wounding two.  A witness to the shooting was an Illinois Concealed Carry License (ICCL) holder who shot the gunman, preventing the death of the two wounded people.  As I often mention, when an attack occurs, the only people there are the attacker and the intended victims.  This attack was probably over in under 10 seconds despite having 5 people involved.  That is how fast these things happen.  We have over 410,000 ICCLS in Illinois but that isn’t enough.