According to the president and his ever-obliging attorney general, a “crackdown” is coming on America’s federally licensed gun dealers (FFLs), with “zero tolerance” for allegedly illegal behavior. While no decent person—least of all the NRA or its members—supports arming dangerous criminals, NRA-ILA offers that this recent case from Texas provides disturbing hints as to what this policy might look like in practice.
In the meantime, the pandemic has drawn down and we are once again free to move about the country, which for some of us includes making up for lost time at the range. If you are heading back, you may be aware of a public range that's seen better days, one that could benefit from a little TLC of some other improvement. 
Here's some great news: The NRA has announced the reopening of its Public Range Fund (PRF) for qualifying range projects, effective immediately. The NRA fund is a grant-matching program designed to encourage city and county governments as well as state and federal agencies to work with the NRA to build and improve public ranges across America. Read more here.
One activity the pandemic didn't put a damper on was hunting. If you've already applied for your fall tags, here's something to consider if you've ever dreamed of starring in your own outdoor hunting series. Leupold has launched its Project Hunt contest, which offers one lucky hunter the chance to have his or her fall 2021 hunt filmed and shared across Leupold’s digital media platforms. Get all the details on how you might see your name in lights here.
And as most outdoorswomen know, you are never really alone in the woods, as creepy crawly critters like snakes and bugs are often at arm's length. For the most part, NRA Women Executive Editor Wendy LaFever is admittedly unsqueamish, having a relaxed “live and let live” attitude toward most insects. 
The operant word in that last sentence is “most,” because there’s one notable exception: ticks—those grotty little vampires that do come with their own brand of danger. Read more in her latest Short Shots blog: Ugh. So Ticked.
Speaking of alone in the woods, if you are one who enjoys adventuring solo, you may have heard this a time or two ... You’re going … alone? It’s the question often asked of strong, independent outdoorswoman when they announce they’re going hiking, hunting, fishing unaccompanied. Seasoned outdoorswoman NRA Women Assistant Editor Ashley Thess is more than practiced at answering this question, and she shares her response in her latest Renee on the Range blog.
The other half of the gun-owning population who opted to stay indoors and tinker during the pandemic likely decided to modify their handguns in one way or another. What are the five most common upgrades for a defensive handgun? Ironically, we may have known what the two most popular defensive handgun upgrades have been for a long time. Learn the answer to this in Shooting Illustrated’s “Most Common Handgun Upgrades.”
