Looked down a bore today

[larry cazes]

I have mixed feelings on this. I was Ro'ing a new shooter a couple weeks ago. It was a 3 string stage. He bent over to pick up a mag and thinking he was pointing to the ground he pointed the gun right at my leg. I pulled him a side, no need to embarrass him in front of everybody, and sternly made it clear that the single most important issue he needed to be focused on is where the muzzle is pointing, that everything else was secondary to that. I told him next time it would be a DQ. Maybe he will be back. I doubt he would be if I DQ'd him.

Chuck, I'm certain that many of us completely agree with your view on this, although it's not a politically correct position to take on this particular forum. Brand new shooters need to be handled carefully, on several different levels. Yes, safety must come first, but I'm not sure it always takes a DQ for a brand new shooter to learn the lesson. None of our stringent safety rules will matter much in a few years if we run all the new shooters out of the sport.

Or so it seems to me.

I hope you are not suggesting that the majority of new shooters at your local clubs DQ at their first few matches. I think this is somewhat overstated

Safety is absolute and there should be severe consequences for putting your fellow competitors well being at risk. I havent been playing this game for so long that I don't remember the impression on me when I saw a competitor DQ for the first time at a match. I have been a cert'ed RO for 4 years now and I still feel sad everytime I have to send someone to the showers but that does not keep me from doing it.

[Rob Boudrie]

Do you think that the club's or sanctioning body's insurance company is going to provide coverage?

Absent criminal action or intent, I didn't realize insurance companies had the option of denying liability claims because of absolute stupidity on the part of the insured. Could you explain how a claim for negligence could be denied, assuming, of course, there was not contract clause stating that violating the rules on the part of match officials would result in denial of coverage.

If that were indeed the case, just imagine all the auto accident claims that would go unpaid.

[M118LR]

Myself and another club member were at an out of town match and we both saw the muzzle of a 38 super. It was stage a where you started back from a table with your pistol laying on the table. On the signal you moved up picked up your pistol and moved to a shooting area. Of course during the move you loaded your pistol. The shooter moved up to pick up his pistol and as he ran by he turned his pistol a complete 180 at me and another shooter as he was picking it up. The RO saw it and let him finish shooting. The RO and the Match director (who at the time was walking up when it happen) talked about for a couple of minutes. The shooter of course said that he did turn the pistol around but, "it was not loaded" was his response. Need less to say he was DQ'ed. Why the RO did not stop him right away was a question that I had.

[Barrettone]

I hope the guys gun was at least clean...There is nothing worse than getting a dirty gun pointed at you...the risk of infection to your GSW goes WAY UP when that gun is filthy.

BTW...what was the twist rate?

[davidwiz]

Do you think that the club's or sanctioning body's insurance company is going to provide coverage?

Absent criminal action or intent, I didn't realize insurance companies had the option of denying liability claims because of absolute stupidity on the part of the insured. Could you explain how a claim for negligence could be denied, assuming, of course, there was not contract clause stating that violating the rules on the part of match officials would result in denial of coverage.

If that were indeed the case, just imagine all the auto accident claims that would go unpaid.

If the insurance company were to learn the the rules were not enforced, and there was language in the policy saying that the safety rules will be enforced, then it is possible that the insurance company may deny coverage. The point I was trying to make was, why take that chance? Enforce the rules for everyone, without exception.

[ben b.]

I probably should have been DQ's last month at a small, cozy match of 5 people. RO was talking to another guy and said, "OK sir, you are next", I was already in the box with Barney mag in hand, and he started to talk to guy again. I pulled gun out, then we both kind of stopped and looked at each other. I should have waited for make ready call, and he should have been on the job.

My point is that small squads of friends can get too casual, if you don't watch it.