2.4 Safety Areas
Every match must have allocated areas that allow competitors to safely maintain their firearms throughout the match.
2.4.1 Match Requirements
The host organization is responsible for the construction and placement of a sufficient number of Safety Areas for the match. They should be conveniently placed and must be easily identified with signs.
2.4.2 Construction
Safety Areas must include a table with the safe muzzle direction and boundaries clearly shown. If a backstop and/or side walls are included, they must be constructed of materials capable of containing fired rounds. Safety Areas at tournaments and long gun matches must include sufficient gun racks adjacent to, but not in, the Safety Area for secure muzzle-up storage of rifles and shotguns.
2.4.3 Permissions
Competitors are permitted to use Safety Areas unsupervised for the activities stated below provided they remain within the boundaries of the Safety Area and the firearm is pointed in a safe direction. Violations may be subject to disqualification (see Rule 10.5.1).
2.4.3.1 Firearm Storage & Holster
Casing, uncasing, and holstering unloaded firearms.
2.4.3.2 Firearms Manipulation Practice
Practice the mounting, drawing, dry firing and re-holstering of unloaded firearms.
2.4.3.3 Dry Fire Reloading
Practice the insertion and removal of empty magazines and/or to cycle the action of a firearm.
2.4.3.4 Firearms Maintenance
Conduct inspections, stripping, cleaning, repairs and maintenance of firearms, component parts and other accessories.
2.4.4 Ammunition Handling
Dummy ammunition and live rounds, whether loose, packaged or contained in magazines or speed loaders, must not be handled in a Safety Area under any circumstances (see Rule 10.5.12).
Chapter Rules