Rules Insights

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.

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.

Yes, the rulebook is long. Yes, there are rules that reference other rules. And no, citing any rule that mentions the term is not necessarily the best rule to use. Whether it is during your RO exam or renewal exam, or on the range, citing the correct rule is very important.

“10.7.1 -All persons are required to be in complete control both mentally and physically during USPSA matches.” Simple sentence that I think we can all agree is exceedingly important considering what we do in our sport…that is, run around with loaded guns. And really, all of section 10.7 in the rules (it is the same in all of our rule books) is predicated on this one sentence. 10.7.2 addresses “recreational” things like alcohol and other recreational drugs, 10.7.3 addresses medically related issues, and 10.7.4 leaves the door open for drug testing should performance enhancing drugs become a problem in our sport. But let’s dig a bit deeper.

We don’t see a ton of unloaded starts in USPSA matches, but when there is one, the Range Officers usually have to advise the competitors to get the firearm in the proper ready condition. And usually it is a fair number of competitors who need some guidance. So, let’s chat about unloaded starts and what that means for pistols, revolvers, and PCCs.