RO Fatally Shot at NY USPSA Match

[HCM]

I dunno, to be honest. Stop matches for a brief period and have clubs conduct a review of the rules we have in place now? Just spit balling.

I’m also familiar with safety as a professional. I was involved in an ASW weapon system in the UK in the 90s, based on the EH101 platform. During flight testing, one of our pre-Prod helo’s spiraled into a mountain. We lost the Italian Chief Engineer for Augusta, the test pilot, and two Royal Navy crew members. That day sucked.

We learned later that the (new design) rotor brake had apparently engaged in flight, heating up the (new design) carbon-fiber control rods. They melted. At that point they were passengers. We were grounded 18 months while the team came up with a solution (we reverted back to steel control rods, iirc.)

I hope that USPSA takes the opportunity to review everything in the rule book, stem to stern, so we can determine if any changes do in fact need to be made to lessen the risk of this happening ever again.

The type of safety stand down you’re talking about is part of the serious used culture but I don’t think US PSA has ever done anything like that.

[olstyn]

Rule change?
OK, no manual decocking, period. Your CZ (if not a D model) is in Limited only.

...or we could just prohibit extended firing pins, since that seems to prevent this issue. I mean, don't get me wrong, manual decocking makes me generally unhappy, but it's really just the shooter risking minor injury and a DQ when it's a stock firing pin.

[YVK]

I've a more radical rule in mind. This is a 21st century, no manufacturer, except for SIG but even they got caught, can bring a serious duty gun to the market without a drop safety mechanism. USPSA is a sport with highest likelihood of guns being dropped comparatively to other shooting sports. They need to require mandatory firing pin safety mechanisms in all guns. It can be implemented without any appreciable performance decline in 1911s, 2011s, CZs etc. Biggest problem is negative effect on current gun owners so it has to be done with appropriate grace period. Say, 2035 - 2040 is the target year for mandatory compliance. Should be sufficiently long enough to shoot out all current guns and replace them with safer designs.

[cheby]

I've a more radical rule in mind. This is a 21st century, no manufacturer, except for SIG but even they got caught, can bring a serious duty gun to the market without a drop safety mechanism. USPSA is a sport with highest likelihood of guns being dropped comparatively to other shooting sports. They need to require mandatory firing pin safety mechanisms in all guns. It can be implemented without any appreciable performance decline in 1911s, 2011s, CZs etc. Biggest problem is negative effect on current gun owners so it has to be done with appropriate grace period. Say, 2035 - 2040 is the target year for mandatory compliance. Should be sufficiently long enough to shoot out all current guns and replace them with safer designs.

2035-2040?? I agree with everything!

[CleverNickname]

USPSA is a sport with highest likelihood of guns being dropped comparatively to other shooting sports.

I'd say 3-gun is worse than USPSA in this regard because in 3-gun, competitors often have to drop a (supposedly, hopefully) unloaded gun in a safe barrel or other receptacle while on the clock.

But yeah, neither are benchrest or something.

[YVK]

I'd say 3-gun is worse than USPSA in this regard because in 3-gun, competitors often have to drop a (supposedly, hopefully) unloaded gun in a safe barrel or other receptacle while on the clock.

Don't think they have to be unloaded, just put on safe.
Last match of any kind I shot this year was 3G and one of the top guys DQ'D. His Atlas fell out of his holster. Not sure what retention he had.

[Jim Watson]

...or we could just prohibit extended firing pins, since that seems to prevent this issue. I mean, don't get me wrong, manual decocking makes me generally unhappy, but it's really just the shooter risking minor injury and a DQ when it's a stock firing pin.

Enforcement would call for a technical inspection unlikely to happen at anything less than a major championship.

I doubt anything will be done... unless there are lawsuits with large judgements and consent decrees forcing USPSA to make some sort of rule change.

[HeavyDuty]

That’s the reason I’ve searched to find the absolute brightest freaking day-glo lime-green shirts to wear at matches. I don’t really want to be hard to see when I’m down range setting steel or what not.

My club can be very quiet, and I’m always conscious of people showing up while I’m downrange pasting. I have a couple of hiviz items I keep in the car for club range wear to try and mitigate that exposure. The flags and cones should be enough, but you’ll never get rich overestimating people’s common sense.

[HeavyDuty]

Sure, let’s make the most popular guns used in production no longer viable.

Hey, asbestos used to be popular, too.

[olstyn]

Enforcement would call for a technical inspection unlikely to happen at anything less than a major championship.

That's generally true, I suppose, but it would be easy enough to take care of it at registration/check in. "I see you're shooting a CZ Shadow. You running the stock firing pin?" Sure, people could lie, but at least you'd get *some* compliance.

I doubt anything will be done... unless there are lawsuits with large judgements and consent decrees forcing USPSA to make some sort of rule change.

On this point, we agree.