What's the call on Ear Plugs missing

[Hard Cash]

What's the call on stage 1 if a cowboy or cowgirl shoots a round downrange and realizes they have forgotten their ear plugs and stops and ask for a re-shoot?

Common sense would be to protect your hearing, but it is ultimately the shooters fault. The same question would apply to safety glasses.

[Rolan Kraps, SASS # 24084 Life]

No call. Their fault. It has happened to me before and I didn't whine and ask for a reshoot. I "cowboyed up" and shot the stage.

[Irish Pat]

I would let them start over. It is no sense to let someone hurt their ears over this game that we play for fun. IrishPat sass19486

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I suppose it depends. If it's a big match and SASS rules are strictly enforced, then forgetting ear plugs is not grounds for a reshoot after the 1st round is sent down range. At a monthly match, you could have pity and let them start over but that would be up to the individual club.

[Cariboo Lefty, SASS5391]

I immediately stop any shooter that has lost their plugs or glasses. It is a safety issue and I have no problem with a reshoot. I do not want them screwing around with ear plugs or glasses when handling loaded firearms. If I had any reason to believe it was intentional we would have a talk, but after all this is a game, not worth losing an eye or what little hearing some of us have left

[Captain Clark]

No safety glasses when the shooter comes to the line, then they don't shoot until corrected! If the TO misses eye protection, then its time to pass off the timer!

Ear protection is harder to gauge for the TO, I have had shooters forget to activate their plugs and realized it after they started, most continue on. If the shooter immediately stops because of no ear protection, Its a safety matter to me and my responsibility is to keep the shooter SAFE through the stage, in that scenario a reshoot could be warranted IMHO.

SHB Pg 26, item 31

Eye protection mandatory, ear protection highly recommended.

[Cowboy Junky]

I think many people over react with the "safety" issue here..........many people duck hunt, dove hunt, deer hunt and the military doesn't use hearing protecting in combat.......and some people lose hearing and some don't. IMO it's a cumulative thing or something really loud....much louder than a common SASS load to cause permanent damage.

 

Don't GET me wrong I wear it and highly recommend it.....but at the same time 20 - 24 rounds of SG and pistol caliber rounds isn't going to cause instant hearing damage either. If it did I would be deaf for sure........lol

[Yusta B.]

Forgot earplugs, get thru stage as best you can. It's the shooters decision. I don't think it warrants a restart. Eye protection, advise & assist shooter to correct, on the clock. I believe the TO has a duty to check shooter over before starting them, but not the responsibility. Where I shoot, if you stepped up with no eye protection, you would have at least 5 people hollering at you. Ear protection - not the end of the world. Eye protection - right up there with gun safety.

[Flying W Ramrod]

If they are missing their hearing protection and it causes them to become so rattled and concerned that they stop, I consider that a serious safety problem and will allow them to re-insert them, on the clock, or, in the case of them forgetting to put them on, allow a restart/reshoot.

The fact that the US Military does not use hearing protection during combat is moot as Cowboy Action Shooting is not combat, nor is it hunting.

I lost a large part of my hearing due to the Military practice of not having hearing protection available, and required for use, during live fire practice. Now I wear VA issued hearing aids.

There are some shooters who will stop, when their hearing protection is jerked out by shucking shotshells, and replace the hearing protection. They don't want or require restarts or reshoots. The ones who do, and are quite shaken up due to the lack of them, should have the ability to play this game without being concerned for hearing loss.

That being said, like the opportunity to make a clean start, multiple restart/reshoots by the same shooter should not be entertained.

[Lone Dog, SASS #20401]

Many is the time I have hooked the cord on the strong side earplug with the sg butt. I always stop and re-insert said plug. A few ticks of the clock is not worth the risk to what hearing I have left. One time I shot two or three stages without me glasses, no one noticed. Was lucky that day...

[Deadeye George]

a serious safety problem - Good Grief! Did they stop the fight at the OK corral because Doc Holiday left his ear plugs back at the hotel........... NO, they just kept walking down the street and took care of business! And you guys call yourselves cowboys!

 

You are not going to loose your hearing because you didn't wear ear plugs for 30 seconds of shooting.

[Griff]

a serious safety problem - Good Grief! Did they stop the fight at the OK corral because Doc Holiday left his ear plugs back at the hotel........... NO, they just kept walking down the street and took care of business! And you guys call yourselves cowboys!

 

You are not going to loose your hearing because you didn't wear ear plugs for 30 seconds of shooting.

 

Hearing protection IS a Safety Issue when it rattles a cowboy/girl to the point at which their focus and attention to the rest of their 'game' is deteriorated. Some clubs have a local rule that both eye & ear protection is mandatory. At those places it should be an item the RO checks as they look over the shooter coming to the line.

And since hearing loss is of a cumulative nature, why add to the total when it's easily prevented.

[Smokestack SASS#87384]

Can someone please show me where in the manual I can find that failure of a shooter's equipment is grounds for a reshoot?

[Deadeye George]

 

Hearing protection IS a Safety Issue when it rattles a cowboy/girl to the point at which their focus and attention to the rest of their 'game' is deteriorated. Some clubs have a local rule that both eye & ear protection is mandatory. At those places it should be an item the RO checks as they look over the shooter coming to the line.

And since hearing loss is of a cumulative nature, why add to the total when it's easily prevented.

 

I know all about safety issues, I worked in aircraft manufacturing plants for 40 years where there were noises that were unbelievably loud! I have several pairs of ear muffs hanging around my shop, one hanging next to the on/off switch of my planer, one on my jointer, one on my router bench but I don't wear them when using any of the lathes, mill or other power tools, I just keep things in perspective and that's all I'm saying, just keep things in perspective.

 

But I am confused a bit by yours and a few other posts, are we more concerned with SAFETY and shooters damaging their hearing OR are we more concerned with Fred or Sally loosing their FOCUS on their game and loosing 2.17 seconds on the stage because they got rattled when they heard their guns going off?

 

So again I say...... Good Grief!

[Springfield Slim SASS #24733]

As one who has a definite hearing loss from doing things without hearing protection because I thought I was bullet proof, I would give a re-shoot. It's no fun to not be able to hear your kids talk to you without having them repeat things, and I won't add to any ones poor health if I can help it. As for shooting once without protection not causing any loss, I call BS.

[Kid Rich]

 

I know all about safety issues, I worked in aircraft manufacturing plants for 40 years where there were noises that were unbelievably loud! I have several pairs of ear muffs hanging around my shop, one hanging next to the on/off switch of my planer, one on my jointer, one on my router bench but I don't wear them when using any of the lathes, mill or other power tools, I just keep things in perspective and that's all I'm saying, just keep things in perspective.

 

But I am confused a bit by yours and a few other posts, are we more concerned with SAFETY and shooters damaging their hearing OR are we more concerned with Fred or Sally loosing their FOCUS on their game and loosing 2.17 seconds on the stage because they got rattled when they heard their guns going off?

 

So again I say...... Good Grief!

Yep. kR

[Smokestack SASS#87384]

Have any of you who would offer the shooter a reshoot actually read the manuals or taken an RO course?

 

[Kid Rich]

Have any of you who would offer the shooter a reshoot actually read the manuals or taken an RO course?

 

Keep shootin or take the misses. kR

[Smokestack SASS#87384]

Keep shootin or take the misses. kR

Or, if they wanted to stop and have someone bring them their ear protection from their cart on the clock, that would be fine too.

[Desert Pete SASS #42168]

My club requires eye and ear protection within the shooting bays at all times. It also has Range Safety Officers who are constantly on patrol making sure that the rules are followed. The last thing any discipline needs is to have an RSO report back to the board that the simplest and most direct of rules is being violated.

 

So, based on the local club rules, the shooter should immediately stop shooting. Reshoot??? Still an open question but at local matches it would most likely be a reshoot.

[Ace_of_Hearts]

Eye protection is another requirement/rule listed in the manual for which there is no direct penalty listed.

You simply are not even allowed to be in direct sight of the targets. The shooter should be asked to leave the shooting area until they have proper protection.

Don't blame just the TO. You are ALL Safety Officers!

If missing eye wear is discovered during the stage then perhaps everyone should refer to the RO-III handbook and apply it here.

 

 

No hearing protection? That's the shooters call if they wish to use any. (Barring any specific range rule)

[Chinaman,SASS32908]

Another thought What would stop a cowboy/cowgirl from leaving 1 plug out and half way through, and not having a good run call lost or dropped earplug for a re-shoot.May be better off being shooters responsibility.

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

Another thought What would stop a cowboy/cowgirl from leaving 1 plug out and half way through, and not having a good run call lost or dropped earplug for a re-shoot.May be better off being shooters responsibility.

Honor!

[Deadeye George]

Another thought What would stop a cowboy/cowgirl from leaving 1 plug out and half way through, and not having a good run call lost or dropped earplug for a re-shoot.May be better off being shooters responsibility.

 

I could see it now....... "I would like a re-shoot because my left earplug fell out and the loud noise rattled me so much I forgot the rifle targets were outside/outside - inside/inside in a Nevada Sweep and my left shoelace came untied almost causing me to trip running from table to table which combined with that GOD awful noise caused me to shoot the shotgun targets in any order instead of 1-2-3-4 and of course, NONE of this was my fault so let's slow everyone down by allowing me to do a re-shoot and to make sure no one objects we'll hollar "SAFETY FIRST" real loud as an excuse"

 

We're going to keep micro analyzing every aspect of shooting these matches until one year in the near future all common sense has left the equations and we'll eventually have 18 rules on ear protection alone. And that would be the same year sharp scissors are banned from all SASS events where shooters are running from position to position.

[Smokestack SASS#87384]

Another thought What would stop a cowboy/cowgirl from leaving 1 plug out and half way through, and not having a good run call lost or dropped earplug for a re-shoot.

 

The rules. Those in this thread who would offer a re shoot are not only wrong, they are doing a disservice to their shooters by causing them to believe that they will be afforded a re shoot whenever this happens. When these shooters end up at a big match that plays by the rules and their ear plug comes loose they will likely stop shooting, thinking that they will get a re shoot and lose a lot of time receiving an education on the clock.

[Irish Pat]

I am an RO-2 and have been shooting since 1998. If I thought that some one was trying to deliberately out cheat at our Little game I would give them a spirit of the game MDQ but also I could not stand by and make them damage their hearing when they realized they accidentally forgot their hearing protection. Irish Pat sass 194486

[Zack McGee, SASS #46908]

I did that ONCE years ago. I stopped shooting, took the misses and we all had a good laugh.

[Smokestack SASS#87384]

I am an RO-2 and have been shooting since 1998. If I thought that some one was trying to deliberately out cheat at our Little game I would give them a spirit of the game MDQ but also I could not stand by and make them damage their hearing when they realized they accidentally forgot their hearing protection. Irish Pat sass 194486

The penalty for a spirit of the game is not a Match DQ...it is 30 seconds added to their stage time.

[Matthew Duncan]

I could see it now....... "I would like a re-shoot because my left earplug fell out and the loud noise rattled me so much I forgot the rifle targets were outside/outside - inside/inside in a Nevada Sweep and my left shoelace came untied almost causing me to trip running from table to table which combined with that GOD awful noise caused me to shoot the shotgun targets in any order instead of 1-2-3-4 and of course, NONE of this was my fault so let's slow everyone down by allowing me to do a re-shoot and to make sure no one objects we'll hollar "SAFETY FIRST" real loud as an excuse"

 

We're going to keep micro analyzing every aspect of shooting these matches until one year in the near future all common sense has left the equations and we'll eventually have 18 rules on ear protection alone. And that would be the same year sharp scissors are banned from all SASS events where shooters are running from position to position.

+1

 

Today's schools as an example. No running, no dodge ball, no monkey gym and no pop tarts bitten into a shape of a gun.

 

The former Cutter's Raiders had a mine stage with side tunnels. I took a foam plug out so I could hear the stage instructions. From a side tunnel I put one pistol round down range. In that confined space it was LOUD! Kept my pistol pointing down range while with my free hand retrive the foam from my vest pocket, showed it to the TO (he was wondering what I was doing) and screwed the foam into my ear. Then I finished the stage. Why in the Sam Hill should I be rewarded with a reshoot for my own error?

[Irish Pat]

If I catch someone cheating they can't playwith me anymore. Maybe I should not have said spirit of the game.

[Possum Skinner, SASS#60697]

WHAT???

[John Boy]

...shoots a round downrange and realizes they have forgotten their ear plugs and stops and ask for a re-shoot?

Hard Cash ... What was the call at the match or are you just making this up?

[Chicago Ken]

JMHO, hearing protection is a major safety issue. I have lost a large amount of my hearing because "I maned up and just suffered through." Thats total bull crap. Doing that cost me my hearing. Lets keep it safe and stop people from damaging thier hearing.

 

That said, if somone is stone deaf, no hearing protection required.

[Colt McCloud, SASS #65003L]

JMHO, hearing protection is a major safety issue. I have lost a large amount of my hearing because "I maned up and just suffered through." Thats total bull crap. Doing that cost me my hearing. Lets keep it safe and stop people from damaging thier hearing.

 

That said, if somone is stone deaf, no hearing protection required.

Well the answer is still pretty simple. TO directs shooter to safely restage his gun put the ear piece back in then continue on with the stage ALL ON THE CLOCK!

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

SASS rules require shooting glasses. Hearing protection is only recommended. If hearing protection were a major safety issue then SASS would require it. At every shooter safety meeting I have ever been to, at many locations around the country, shootings glasses are always required and hearing protection merely recommended. Many shoots require that youngsters wear hearing protection. However, I have never been to a match where hearing protection was required for adults. If someone wants to wear hearing protection and forgets to put them in on during a stage chances are they will remember them on the next stage. Trying to run though a stage with your shoe laces untied is a "safety" issue but you aren't getting a reshoot for that either