Sneezing as the targets turn?

After stacking hay and sneezing my brains out I started wondering; what wound happen if someone started sneezing just as the targets turned. There's nothing in the rules that I can find that sounds even close.

Are they entitled to an alabi? Or not?

How about other physical conditions. Leg cramp? Severe heart burn? What have you.

Let's not get disgusting here, please.

Nope.

Deferred to Bickars logic and experience.

I have thought about this. It hasn't happened to me (yet), but if it did, I would set the gun down and throw myself at the mercy of the RSO, stating that I declined to shoot due to an unsafe situation beyond my control.

From the other point of view, if I was RSO and you did the above, I would grant you a refire with no penalty, at least once. I'd rather have someone stop when something isn't quite right, than push on and create an unsafe situation.

However, if you do this often enough to get a reputation as "Sneezin' Sam," then we start to have a different conversation.

TL;DR: if you have a loaded firearm and you are not able to manipulate it safely, STOP. PUT IT DOWN. We'll figure out the applicable section of the rule book later.

Bee on your face or in your eyeglasses? Yes.

A fly on your leg, or raindrops on your front sight? No.

If a shooter is not ready for any reason, they can choose to not shoot a string without sacrificing their right to an alibi if needed.

The Wisconsin State match includes the following in the shooter briefing. I think it should be repeated at all matches:

"Is the line ready" is a question, if you aren't ready yell or raise your hand and you will be given more time. "The line is ready" is a statement, we will proceed with the commands unless there is an unsafe condition. If you aren't ready after the statement "the line is ready" don't yell and jump around disturbing the other shooters, unload, step back and you will get a chance to shoot when you are ready.

I think a sneeze would be a reason not to shoot.

I never had such experience before, If that happen, I will surely drop the gun .

I would set the gun down not drop it personally...

I got a bloody nose during a string of rapid fire once. Finished the sting, put the gun on the bench, tossed in an eci, went and dealt with the issue off the line. 

Stuff happens, often when it is most inconvenient.

john bickar wrote:I have thought about this. It hasn't happened to me (yet), but if it did, I would set the gun down and throw myself at the mercy of the RSO, stating that I declined to shoot due to an unsafe situation beyond my control.

From the other point of view, if I was RSO and you did the above, I would grant you a refire with no penalty, at least once. I'd rather have someone stop when something isn't quite right, than push on and create an unsafe situation.

However, if you do this often enough to get a reputation as "Sneezin' Sam," then we start to have a different conversation.

TL;DR: if you have a loaded firearm and you are not able to manipulate it safely, STOP. PUT IT DOWN. We'll figure out the applicable section of the rule book later.

Shot in a match where someone munching on a snack during CF TF choked on it after 1st or 2nd shot in string. Match Director granted an alibi.  Lunch time involved a lot of lively discussion on the validity of allowing the alibi.  MD stood his ground. I was a fairly new shooter and didn't know what was right one way or the other but a couple others were not happy about it.

Had an incident during slow fire. Brass from the shooter to my left was flying in ALL directions and had a hot .45 go behind my glasses and wedge there. No problem in SF, but if happened during TF/RF, problem.

Even with the screen there, the brass trajectory from his .45 angled past the screen, past his brass catcher and got me.

Alibi? Yes or NO for TF, RF?

xman wrote:
Even with the screen there, the brass trajectory from his .45 angled past the screen, past his brass catcher and got me.

Alibi? Yes or NO for TF, RF?

I think not. Had one like that at Perry this year, with an open shirt collar.

Timed fire with the herky jerkies, cleaned it.

I didn't stop or try to challenge, so I don't have a definite answer. I just rolled with it.

xman wrote:Had an incident during slow fire. Brass from the shooter to my left was flying in ALL directions and had a hot .45 go behind my glasses and wedge there. No problem in SF, but if happened during TF/RF, problem.

Even with the screen there, the brass trajectory from his .45 angled past the screen, past his brass catcher and got me.

Alibi? Yes or NO for TF, RF?

A very old service rifle shooter at Camp Perry told me the reason you see lots of Campaign Hats





https://www.wwmcmillan.info/natMatches_1959.html

worn by the rifle shooters was due to the number of Garands on the firing line. If you have ever shot a Garand, it tosses a big, hot 30-06 case yards away. And having had one of those cases fall down my neck during prone rapid fire, I can say, it hurts!

I am sure pistol shooters experienced the same problems with issue pistols. My RIA 1911, the extractor and firing pin stop were so loose it had a lot of extractor clocking, and I experienced hot cases to the forehead and neck.  Should I get an alibi when my own pistol tosses brass in my face?

The range master at a local indoor range showed me the clothes line pins they have available for women. They have seen enough incidents, where hot brass goes right down the cleavage, that they offer a  cloth, and clothes pins, to a woman who would obviously be in danger of falling brass.  Such prudence probably saved some lives on the left and right of the female shooter.

I suspect that if they gave everyone an alibi when a hot case hit them, the matches would still be going on.

My local, now defunct, indoor range had a spider web in the plexiglass between two lanes. I was told a woman caught a hot case down her shirt and started jumping around with the pistol in her hand. They started passing out aprons to patrons who might suffer the same fate.