It always has puzzled me why some competitors race through the process of unloading and showing clear at the end of stages. This process is not on the clock and is an important step to ensure the firearm is unloaded, so why the rush?
When you are done shooting the stage, the RO will say “If you are finished, unload and show clear.” If you happen to notice a target you missed, you can still shoot after this command. The command is a question asking if you are done. If you are not done, you can keep going. Eventually you will be done and the RO will give this command again and it is your cue to remove the magazine, rack the slide/bolt to empty the chamber, and hold back the slide/bolt for you and the RO to confirm the firearm is completely unloaded. If the RO agrees with you that the firearm is clear, then you will hear the “If clear, hammer down, holster/flag” command. This is where you release the slide/bolt, pull the trigger to confirm the chamber is empty, and holster your handgun or flag the long gun.
All of these commands occur after the last shot, which is when the timer quits recording the time. There is no need to rush through the process of unloading and showing clear. Yet, we see many people do it and then get upset when the RO requests clear be shown again because it happened so fast the RO couldn’t confirm.
We do teach in the RO class that as a RO, if a competitor speeds through the process and you are unsure if the firearm is clear, that you can request the competitor show clear again. However, in practice we have heard stories of competitors getting upset and berating the ROs. Yes, pulling the trigger on an empty chamber proves the gun is unloaded, but sometimes the action is done so quickly the RO doesn’t know if the trigger was actually pulled.
As a RO, yes you can request a competitor show clear again. As a competitor, don’t make the process hard for the RO. You are no longer being timed, unload and show clear so the RO can see and then when you hear “If clear, hammer down, holster/flag” then pull the trigger and proceed as normal. We all want to make sure no one leaves the stage with a loaded firearm, so let’s work together to make the process smooth and done properly in a single attempt.