Match Safety

• THESE SAFETY RULES WILL BE REVIEWED BY RANGE OFFICERS (ROs), AND THE RANGE MASTER WILL BRIEF COMPETITORS.

• WELCOME TO THE ______________________ GSSF LEAGUE MATCH.

• INTRODUCE YOURSELF.

• THIS IS YOUR BRIEFING:

• IPSC/USPSA PROCEDURES GENERALLY ARE USED.

— SAFETY —

• “COLD RANGE”. FIREARMS MUST BE UNLOADED AT ALL TIMES.

• IF YOU HAVE A LOADED FIREARM, LEAVE IT ALONE NOW — SEE ME AFTER THE BRIEFING.

• “HOT” GUNS USUALLY BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND/OR CIVILIANS WITH CONCEALED FIREARMS PERMITS.

• UNINTENTIONAL DISCHARGE GROUNDS FOR DISQUALIFICATION AND EXPULSION FROM THE RANGES.

• OBEY THE 4 BASIC SAFETY RULES:

• HANDLE ALL FIREARMS AS IF THEY WERE LOADED;

• ALWAYS KEEP THE FIREARM POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION;

• KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNLESS SAFELY FIRING; AND

• BE CERTAIN OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEHIND IT.

• EYE AND EAR PROTECTION ARE MANDATORY, FOR ALL SHOOTERS, RANGE OFFICERS, AND SPECTATORS.

• WATCH EACH OTHER ON THIS POINT.

• DO NOT HANDLE FIREARMS EXCEPT:

• IN A DESIGNATED ”SAFETY ZONE”;

• (PARKING LOT IS NOT A SAFETY ZONE); OR

• ON THE FIRING LINE, UNDER THE DIRECT SUPERVISION OF A RANGE OFFICER

— SAFETY ZONES —

• POINT OUT SAFETY ZONES

• USE SAFETY ZONES FOR ALL GUN HANDLING

• DO NOT HANDLE AMMUNITION WHILE IN A SAFETY ZONE.

• LOAD OR UNLOAD MAGAZINES ANYWHERE EXCEPT THE SAFETY ZONES.

— “SAFE DIRECTION” —

• EXPLAIN “180 DEGREE PLANE”.

• TARGETS DOWNRANGE OF THE 180.

• PEOPLE UPRANGE OF THE 180.

• 180 VIOLATIONS INCUR DISQUALIFICATION AND EXPULSION PENALTIES.

• “SAFE DIRECTION” ABOUT 45 DEGREES EITHER SIDE OF TARGETS, OUT AWAY FROM YOUR BODY, AND BELOW TOP OF BACKSTOP.

• IF RO THINKS YOU ARE ABOUT TO VIOLATE 180, WILL YELL “MUZZLE DOWNRANGE”, “DOWNRANGE”, “WATCH YOUR MUZZLE”, ETC.

— THE “DON’TS” —

• DO NOT “PLAY” WITH THE FIREARM.

• DO NOT PUT ANY FIREARM IN YOUR BELT, OR IN A POCKET.

• DO NOT HOLSTER A LOADED FIREARM.

• THE ONLY TIME COMPETITOR WILL HAVE A LOADED FIREARM, IT WILL BE;

• IN HANDS, AND

• WILL HAVE BEEN LOADED AT THE DIRECTION OF RANGE OFFICER.

• THERE ARE NO “SPEED RELOADS”.

• COMPETITOR WILL BE ABLE TO LOAD ENOUGH ROUNDS TO COMPLETE EACH STRING FIRE PROVIDED COMPETITOR DOES NOT MISS TOO MUCH.

— HOLSTERS AND ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF
FIREARMS TRANSPORT ABOUT THE RANGE —

• COME TO THE FIRING LINE WITH FIREARM UNLOADED IN MAGAZINE WELL AND CHAMBER; SLIDE LOCKED TO THE REAR, EITHER HOLSTERED OR IN ANOTHER “SAFE CARRY” MODE.

• OTHER “SAFE CARRY” MODES ARE:

• UNLOADED, SLIDE DOWN, AND IN A CLOSED “GLOCK BOX”.

• UNLOADED, IN A CLOSED “GUN RUG”; SLIDE LOCKED OPEN IF “GUN RUG” LARGE ENOUGH, SLIDE DOWN, STRIKER DOWN (ALA “GLOCK BOX”) IF NOT LARGE ENOUGH.

• UNLOADED, SLIDE OPEN, IN A CLOSED “GUN BAG”.

• SHOULDER HOLSTERS NOT ALLOWED.

• CROSSDRAWS ALLOWED, BUT TURN BODY WHEN DRAWING OR REHOLSTERING SO RANGE OFFICER CAN “SEE” GUNS OUT OF AND INTO HOLSTER.

— FAMILIARIZATION —

• PROPER SIGHT ALIGNMENT.

• PROPER TRIGGER CONTROL.

• COMMON ERROR; FOCUSING ON TARGETS RATHER THAN FRONT SIGHT.

• PAY ATTENTION TO TRIGGER RESET BETWEEN SHOTS.

— MATCH ADMINISTRATION —

• COMPETITOR MAY SHOOT EACH STAGE IN ANY ORDER.

• PUT NAME ON ALL SCORE SHEETS BEFORE GIVING THEM TO RANGE OFFICERS AT EACH STAGE.

• RANGE OFFICERS CALL SHOOTERS TO THE LINE IN THE ORDER THAT THEY RECEIVE SCORESHEETS.

• IF SCORESHEET COMES TO THE TOP AND COMPETITOR IS NOT PRESENT, SCORESHEET WILL BE MOVED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STACK.

— MAGAZINES AND LOADED ROUND CAPACITY LIMITATIONS —

• GET THROUGH MATCH WITHOUT RELOADING MAGAZINES , IF POSSIBLE

• IF SUFFICIENT MAGAZINES NOT AVAILABLE, TELL RANGE OFFICER AT BEGINNING. THEN, EITHER;

• RANGE OFFICER WILL PAUSE WHILE YOU RELOAD MAGAZINE(S), OR

• IF AVAILABLE, A FRIEND OF THE COMPETITOR OR AN ASSISTANT RANGE OFFICER CAN RELOAD MAGAZINE(S) WHILE COMPETITOR SHOOTS OTHER MAGAZINES.

• DUE TO 1994 MAGAZINE LIMITATION LEGISLATION, COMPETITOR MAY LOAD WITH A MAXIMUM OF 10 ROUNDS IN THE MAGAZINE, PLUS ONE ROUND IN THE CHAMBER, FOR MAXIMUM OF 11 ROUNDS IN THE FIREARM.

• COMPETITOR MAY LOAD WITH FEWER THAN ELEVEN ROUNDS (RE; 10 ROUNDS ON “FIVE TO GLOCK”) IF THE COMPETITOR WISHES.

• “PRE BAN” OR “LAW ENFORCEMENT” MAGAZINES MAY BE LOADED WITH 11 ROUNDS.

• AFTER A STRING, DO NOT INADVERTENTLY RELOAD 12 ROUNDS..

— WHILE ON THE FIRING LINE —

• AGAIN, “COLD” RANGE.

• HANDLE FIREARM, AND LOAD FIREARM, ONLY AT DIRECTION OF, AND UNDER SUPERVISION OF, RANGE OFFICER.

• FIRING LINE PROCEDURES VARY FROM ONE HOST RANGE TO ANOTHER.

• THOSE DESCRIBED BELOW ARE USED IN IPSC/USPSA MATCHES.

• YOU WILL BE CALLED TO THE LINE.

• BRING EVERYTHING YOU WILL NEED.

• RANGE OFFICER WILL ASK;

• “DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE COURSE OF FIRE? DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?”.

• NEXT; RANGE OFFICER WILL SAY;

• “IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS (OR NO FURTHER QUESTIONS) LOAD AND MAKE READY”.

• COMPETITOR MAY;

• DRAW THE FIREARM; AND

• TAKE A QUICK “SIGHT PICTURE; AND

• LOAD WITH 11 ROUNDS; AND

• ASSUME THE “START” POSITION.

• “START” POSITION IS “LOW READY”; MUZZLE DOWN ABOUT 45 DEGREES TOWARDS GROUND, FINGER OUTSIDE TRIGGER GUARD.

• NEXT; RANGE OFFICER WILL ASK;

• “ARE YOU READY?”

• IF NOT READY, COMPETITOR SHOULD LOUDLY SAY “NOT READY”.

• IF READY, COMPETITOR SHOULD EITHER SAY “YES” OR NOD HEAD.

• WHEN RANGE OFFICER BELIEVES COMPETITOR IS READY, RANGE OFFICER WILL SAY:

• “STANDBY”

• TWO TO SEVEN SECONDS AFTER “STANDBY”, START SIGNAL WILL BE GIVEN; USUALLY BY ELECTRONIC BUZZER; OR THE APPEARANCE OF THE MOVING TARGET ON THE “GLOCK MOVER”.

• WHEN COMPETITOR IS APPARENTLY FINISHED, RANGE OFFICER WILL SAY:

• “IF YOU ARE FINISHED, UNLOAD AND SHOW CLEAR”

• WHILE AT ALL TIMES KEEPING THE FIREARM POINTED IN A SAFE, DOWNRANGE DIRECTION;

• REMOVE THE MAGAZINE FROM THE FIREARM; AND

• CLEAR THE CHAMBER BY CYCLING THE SLIDE MANUALLY; AND

• (OPTIONAL STEP) PULL THE TRIGGER TO DOUBLY ENSURE THAT THE CHAMBER IS EMPTY; AND

• LOCK THE SLIDE OPEN (UNLESS THE FIREARM IS TO BE INSERTED IN A “GLOCK BOX” OR “GUN RUG” THAT REQUIRES THE SLIDE TO BE FORWARD, STRIKER DOWN ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER) ; AND

• HOLSTER THE FIREARM (OR OTHERWISE SECURE THE FIREARM BY PLACING IT IN A “GLOCK BOX”, “GUN RUG” OR “GUN BAG”, AS THE CASE MAY BE).

• COMPETITOR MUST ALWAYS SECURE FIREARM BEFORE BENDING OVER TO PICK ANYTHING (MAGAZINES, EJECTED LIVE ROUNDS, ETC.) UP.

• COMPETITOR MAY THEN PROCEED TO THE NEXT STAGE, OR;

• IF COMPETITOR HAS FINISHED THE ENTIRE MATCH, COMPETITOR MAY PROCEED TO A SAFETY ZONE TO TRANSFER THE UNLOADED FIREARM INTO A SAFE TRANSPORTATION MODE FOR TRANSPORT AWAY FROM THE RANGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

— SCORING —

• ONCE FIREARM SECURE, FOR STAGES INCLUDING CARDBOARD TARGETS, SHOOTER MAY ACCOMPANY RANGE OFFICER AND OBSERVE WHILE RANGE OFFICER SCORES THE TARGETS AND RECORDS THE SCORES.

• COMPETITOR’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ACCOMPANY THE RANGE OFFICER WHILE TARGETS ARE SCORED. RANGE OFFICER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONFIRMING THE COMPETITOR’S SCORE.

• IF COMPETITOR AGREES WITH SCORING OF TARGETS AND THAT TIMES AND SCORES HAVE BEEN RECORDED CORRECTLY ON SCORESHEET, COMPETITOR MAY INITIAL SCORESHEET.

• INITIALED SCORESHEETS ARE “FINAL”.

• IF DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN COMPETITOR AND THE RANGE OFFICER AS TO THE SCORING/RECORDING OF TARGET(S), OR SCORESHEET, COMPETITOR NOT OBLIGATED TO INITIAL SCORESHEET.

• RANGE OFFICER WILL REMOVE THE DISPUTED TARGET(S) AND SET IT/THEM, AND THE ASSOCIATED SCORESHEET, ASIDE FOR SCORING BY RANGE MASTER.

• DISPUTED TARGET(S) WILL BE REPLACED SO THAT THE MATCH MAY PROCEED.

• RANGE MASTER’S DETERMINATION AS TO THE SCORING OF THE DISPUTED TARGET(S) WILL BE FINAL.

— BRASS —

• EXPENDED BRASS MAY NOT BE RECOVERED.

• PICKING IT UP SLOWS THE MATCH, AND

• THE BRASS IS PARTIAL COMPENSATION TO VOLUNTEER RANGE OFFICERS.

• BE SAFE, HAVE FUN, IN THAT ORDER.

• ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?