Sheriff at Fair unarmed

In reviewing Cal Skinner's photos on www.mchenrycountyblog.com, I wondered why Sheriff Nygren was at the McHenry County Fair - in uniform and unarmed.

Aren't a sidearm and a duty belt (bulletproof vest, extra ammo., handcuffs, radio) standard equipment for a County law enforcement officer in uniform?

What if some whack-o had decided to wreak havoc near the Sheriff's Department's official law enforcement booth?

Is a sidearm considered "unfriendly" when passing out candy to the little kiddies who come over to meet the sheriff?

Did the sheriff qualify at the range with his duty gun? Let's hope.

I remember one day at the range in Colorado. A fellow reserve deputy was the range-master, and I noticed his scores of 247 and 248 out of a possible 250 that day. Pretty good shooting.

So I got my 50 rounds, and Steve put me through the course. I felt I was doing pretty well, but I wasn't counting the points as I fired. It turned out that I was having a banner day, and I scored 250 out of 250. Not all were in the X, but all were at least in or touching the 10-ring.

When Steve told me to get my 50 bullets for the second round, I said, "Nahhh, I think I'll hold on this one..."