Chapter 10 · Penalties · p.30
10.3Safety violations – The following will be grounds for an automatic disqualification:
Unsafe gun handling—specifically, handling a firearm unsupervised, or outside the boundaries of a staging or Safety Area. This includes deliberately removing a flag from a flagged firearm without direct RO supervision and command.
Pointing a firearm up range (breaking the 180-degree line).
Dropping a firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, at any time during a course of fire. Note that a competitor who, for any reason during a course of fire, safely and intentionally places the firearm on the ground or other stable object will not be disqualified provided:
The competitor maintains constant physical contact with the firearm, until it is placed firmly and securely on the ground or another stable object, and
The competitor remains within 3 feet of the firearm at all times, and
The provisions of Rule 10.3.2 do not occur, and
The firearm is in the ready condition as specified in Section 8.1, or
A self-loading firearm has an empty chamber, the magazine removed, and the slide/bolt locked open, or
A revolver has the cylinder open and empty.
Leaving the firing line with a , or possession of a loaded firearm anywhere other than on the firing line.
Retrieving a dropped firearm. Dropped firearms must always be retrieved by a who will, after checking and/or clearing the firearm, return it to the competitor for clearing and holstering or casing. Dropping an unloaded firearm or causing it to fall outside of a course of fire is not an infraction; however, a competitor who retrieves a dropped firearm while unsupervised will receive a match disqualification.
or pointing the muzzle of a firearm at any part of any person’s body during the course of fire. If the firearm is in a case and not in the competitor’s hands, sweeping does not apply. Reaching forward of the muzzle of a cased firearm to open or close the case is not a sweeping infraction, provided the competitor’s hands are completely clear of the firearm itself.
Exception – A match disqualification is for sweeping of the lower extremities (below the belt) while drawing or re-holstering a handgun, provided that the competitor’s fingers are clearly outside of the trigger guard. This exception is only for handguns.
any person with the muzzle of a long gun during or outside the course of fire, whether loaded or not, even if a chamber flag is inserted. Exception - If carried muzzle-down outside the course of fire, the competitor's lower extremities are exempt from this provided the long gun is unloaded and flagged.
Failure to keep the finger outside the trigger guard during movement in accordance with Section 8.5.
Finger in the trigger guard during reload, , loading or during or when adjusting a part on the firearm (e.g., stock, sight).
Holstering a loaded handgun without the external safety applied or on a revolver, with the hammer cocked. Holstering a or pistol with the hammer cocked and the safety not applied.
live or dummy ammunition (including practice or training rounds, snap caps and empty cases), loaded magazines or loaded speed loading devices in a Safety Area. The word “handling” does not preclude competitors from entering a Safety Area with ammunition in magazines or speed loading devices on their belt, in their pockets or in their range bag, provided the competitor does not physically remove the ammunition, loaded magazines or loaded speed loading devices from their retaining or storage device while within the Safety Area.
Having a other than when specifically ordered to by a .
Changing of a competitor’s equipment without prior permission of the Range Master.
Unsafe long gun handling: Failing to point a long gun in a safe direction during casing/uncasing or placing/replacing on a conveyance/vehicle or violating other actions outlined in 5.1.4 or 2.5.2. The berm/back stop is not required while removing/returning a properly flagged long gun from/to a vehicle providing all other safety rules are followed.
Using metal piercing, steel-core, incendiary, and/or tracer ammunition, as well as ammunition loaded with steel-jacketed projectiles (See rule 5.5.4), and/or using any ammunition which has been deemed unsafe by a Range Official (See rule 5.6.3).
10.3.14.1 Ammunition declared unsafe by a Range Official due to multiple squibs, shall not subject the competitor to disqualification, unless the competitor continues to use said ammunition after a Range Official has declared it unsafe.