TargetTalk

What are the national 4H eye protection rules for their shooting (S.A.F.E.) program for precision air rifle and smallbore rifle? (Not rimfire sporter... I mean smallbore as in Anschutz type.) Can someone post the exact text and source of the rules?

Is your program a 4H program and is eye protection required? If a precision air rifle or smallbore athlete needs shooting frames, does the lens and occluder meet the requirements for protection?

Please not that I am NOT asking about whether or not it is prudent to use eye protection. My question is about specific RULES and their details regarding eye protection.

Thanks,
JP

JP,

Each state makes their own rules. In Virginia we require eye protection for all shooting events, .22, air gun, BB, muzzleloading, etc. We do not require it for archery. We have generally accepted "international style" shooting glasses as acceptable but do not have anything specific in our rules about this kind of glasses.

Paul Benneche, Chair, VA 4-H Shooting Ed Committee

In New Mexico it is even more "complex"

Each county has it's own rules ... and ...

the state is broken into 5 districts which in most circumstances have different rules, (most district event superintendants ... extension agents ... have no clue as to what the national rules are...)

and then the State Contest has it's own rules which are over 4 years old and outdated that don't comply strictly to any current rulebook. (Talk about grinding your teeth down....)

Since I'm the "rulemaker" in our county, we shoot the 4-H National rules.
(Basically the CMP 3-P rules with eye protection)

You have probably gone to the National Shooting Sports Contest website and downloaded the synopsis for the national events.
( http://4h.missouri.edu/go/projects/shoo ... /Rules.htm )

I'm an Air Rifle coach and for 4-H competitions we shoot w/ eye protection as required by the 4-H rules, but when we shoot USAS competitions we ditch the glasses as they are a huge disadvantage unless they are optically PERFECT and absolutely clean. (i.e. no such thing exists for a Sr. shooter .... try and find ANY decent glasses for a 10 year old .....)

So it can be frustrating ... note the teeth grinding above .... I've asked our state and district folks "Why don't we just use the national rules?", and the only answer I've ever gotten is "We want to make it fun ... most of the time we have trouble getting the kids to even shoot in the black" ...
I guess suggesting practicing, and not just showing up and flinging lead is not the norm anymore. (Can you tell this could lead to long discussions???? ;-)


AS A SIDE NOTE:
Believe it or not we have had a shot pellet fly back towards the line and hit a shooter. BUT... we were practicing chicken silhouette at 1/2 distance (as our state match does) ... 10 yds, and it hit with no force on his jeans cuff. Even if he had been in prone (silhouette is standing only), ALL my shooters shoot with blinders over their non aiming eye the sights in front of the aiming eye, there would have >>probably<< been no issue anyway. In practices, since it is 4-H sanctioned, we do shoot w/ eye protection.

Joel Martin
Valencia County, NM