South Central Reporter

In a March 10 post on Facebook, Illinois Rep. David Friess put out an update pertaining to a bill that would allow IDNR to sell the World Shooting and Recreational Complex.

House Bill 3456 would allow the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to sell the World Shooting and Recreational Complex as a result of a competitive sealed proposal process. The origin of this new plan was an amendment to the State Property Control Act. The sale will be handled by the Director of Natural Resources, who will have the authority to order surveys and abstracts of title to facilitate the sale. 

"I’m pleased to report that my bill, which would allow the Department of Natural Resources to sell the World Shooting and Recreational Complex, passed out of committee this week. I will continue to work hard to get the bill passed and signed into law, as I believe the purchase of the facility by a private entity will have a positive economic impact on our community" Friess said in a post to his personal Facebook account. "A private entity, one designed to make money, could fully utilize the potential of this facility and create a huge economic boom for our district."

The World Shooting and Recreational Complex (WSRC) is a 1,600-acre complex near Sparta. It is less than 50 miles from three metropolitan areas including St. Louis, MO, as well as three airports. It is designed specifically for shooters. There are 120 trap houses stretching through 3.5 miles in addition to 2 sporting clay courses, 24 combination trap and skeet fields as well as cowboy action shooting.

The WSRC is also the hosting venue of the Amateur Trapshooting Association’s Grand American Trapshooting Championships. There are open public hours for a wide range of shooting disciplines, and fishing is also available in several locations until sunset as well. Camping may also be available to the public on the site. The site's main office is open from 8 AM to 4 PM according to their website.