CCW Story Part 33: At IPSC

That Saturday, my wife and I arrived at the range, unarmed for the first time, as we were watching the IPSC competition. Inside the store, several clean cut people in their mid 40’s milled around, carrying black nylon gun bags. Several of them appeared to be sunburned, it appeared that they spent a lot of time outside.

We were approached by Wanda, who introduced herself as the local IPSC rep. She went into detail about the IPSC format, and the safety rules. Several times she stressed that safety was the most important thing in IPSC competition.

“We have a 180 degree rule, which we strictly enforce”. Said Wanda. “If the muzzle of your weapon breaks an invisible line of 180 degrees, meaning if you point it even the slightest bit past what we call downrange, we ask you to go home immediately”.

This made me feel better, as I was worried that the muzzle discipline would be on par with the concealed carry permit class. Out on the range, several men with push brooms swept up loose brass in a cloud of dust as a woman assembled cardboard targets on a wooden frame.