It is a fact of life, everyone needs to perform certain bodily functions. In fact, if you aren’t having to perform one of them during the course of a match, it can be a bad sign. At a recent class, we ended up having a rather interesting discussion about this which has inspired this post. So let’s examine the finer points.
[Read more…] about When Nature CallsX Marks the Spot
No, not a post discussing treasure maps, sorry. In this case, it is regarding the placement of firearms on a surface prior to the start signal as part of the make ready routine. Let’s grab our shovels anyway and and see what we can find.
[Read more…] about X Marks the SpotLocal DQ Policies
Now and then we get queries about “DQ Policies” that clubs or sections impose on competitors wherein if a competitor gets more than X DQs during Y period of time they are ineligible to participate in matches for Z period of time and/or they complete other requirements. Folks seem to have a couple questions about these so let’s dig in.
[Read more…] about Local DQ PoliciesLet’s NOT Keep it Quiet(er)
One question we get frequently to rules@uspsa.org is around the use of suppressors, or more specifically, why we don’t allow them. Most of the time the person sending the query is upset that we are infringing on their rights. Nothing could be further from the truth.
[Read more…] about Let’s NOT Keep it Quiet(er)Going to DQ
There is an old saying in our sport: “There are those that have DQ’d and those that will DQ.” It’s true, as near as I can tell. I made it almost eight years before my first called DQ. I actually SHOULD have been DQ’d at my second match and several more times along the way but I was not. Let’s talk about this whole disqualification thing and why I made it eight years (and ended up calling the DQ on myself, by the way).
[Read more…] about Going to DQTalking to Others about the Rules
We’ve all been there. A call is made at a match, or not made, and there is a query about if that is the right call, or non-call, and the response is “it’s just a local match”. I’m on my twentieth year in this sport and I’ve heard that response more times than I can count and, as an instructor, have fielded questions about how to handle it even more often. A lot of this directly relates to so called “club culture” which has also been referred to as the “Good Old Boys” syndrome. So let’s dig in a bit and talk about what does and does not work.
[Read more…] about Talking to Others about the RulesProduction Families
We see a lot of questions regarding various handguns and the Production Gun List because a word, maybe two, in the handgun name do not appear specifically in the list under that manufacturer. In short, the majority of these are approved because they belong to the same family as an already approved handgun. Let’s dig deeper.
[Read more…] about Production FamiliesJust Another Hit in the Wall
Walls have been in our sport virtually since its inception as an action sport. Whether serving as part of a small barricade or creating a maze-like shoot house; they are an important prop. And, like most props in our sport, someone is going to shoot holes in them and it will be on the ROs to figure out what to do with those hits.
[Read more…] about Just Another Hit in the Wall