Official Rules For Local Qualifying Round

• All firearms are always treated as loaded.
• Do not point a firearm at anything that you do not intend to destroy.
• Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
• Always be sure of your target and beyond.

These rules protect you and everyone else around you and should be kept in mind at all times.

We understand that it may be tough for beginners to remember these rules when they first start out. If you have a question, ASK the Range Officer prior to stepping to the line. New competitors are encouraged to take a safety and/or training class. Check with your local qualifying range for safety course availability.

If Range Masters witness any competitor displaying disregard for the rules, he/she reserves the right to disqualify any and all competitors found to be in violation.

NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED FOR ANY DISQUALIFICATION.

All disqualifications will be reported to American Marksman staff. Penalties can include up to permanent disqualification from any and all American Marksman activities.

Range personnel and American Marksman staff reserve the right to contact law enforcement for any incident that warrants. Please see explanations later in the document about situations that are punishable by disqualification.

In addition to the 4 basic rules of gun safety, American Marksman will follow the rules/guidelines listed below.

• Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
• Firearms should be unloaded and stored when not in use.
• Ensure that barrel is free of obstruction before use.
• Do not consume alcohol/drugs when firing or handling a gun.
• ALWAYS follow the commands of the Range Officer(s).
• If you see anything that you believe should be reported to staff, please do so.

Eye and Ear Protection

All persons on the range are required to use ear and eye protection.

Eligibility

Anyone who is an amateur shooter, regardless of gender or age, who is legally allowed to operate a firearm in their respective state or competition area, can participate.

This tour is built on the idea that amateur shooters should have the chance to compete, improve and win. The guidelines below describe how American Marksman classifies an amateur shooter:

• Does not have any level of sponsorship (under a shooting contract of any kind, receive product, cash or match entries from a third party)
• Has never placed in the top 10% of any major level competitive shooting event in any division or category. Please see the FAQ for a list of events that are considered major matches. For GSSF matches: American Marksman considers any match listed under the 'Match' tab on www.gssfonline.com as a major match. Any indoor league match listed under the 'Indoor League' tab on www.gssfonline.com is not considered a major match.
• Has never been ranked in the top 10% in any national competitive shooting organizations classification system.
• Please note that anyone that has ever been classified as a Master in IDPA is not eligible. If the highest attained IDPA classification is Expert or lower, that person is eligible.
• Is not a member of a shooting team that is selected based on shooting skill.

*For a list of the 'national level shooting events' referenced in bullet point #2 above, please click here.

Note on the Boomer Shooter program: American Marksman does not consider Boomer Shooter to be a professional level shooting program and, therefore, participants in the Boomer Shooter program ARE eligible for American Marksman participation, as long as they do not violate any of the criteria listed above.

If American Marksman staff discovers that a participant does not meet the criteria of being an amateur, that person and their results will be immediately removed and no refund will be issued for registration.

Any minor child under the age of 18 must be registered to participate by his/her parent or legal guardian. Parent or legal/guardian must also be in attendance with their child at the time of competition.

For questions regarding eligibility, please email [email protected] with “Eligibility Question” in the subject line.

Descriptions of Each Category

Junior: males and females aged 12 to 16 years

Women’s Open: all females aged 17 years and up

Men’s Open: all males aged 17 years and up

Military/Law Enforcement: males and females who are current members of the Armed Forces or any law enforcement agency.

*Note regarding Military/Law Enforcement Category: Any current member of any military branch or law enforcement agency who is a member of any special unit or team that selects team members based on shooting skill and/or performance will be considered a professional and will not be eligible.

Each competitor may compete in only one category. The category selected at initial registration will follow the competitor for as long as he/she advances.

Note: At the national championship event, the top remaining competitors in each category will all compete against each other for the title of American Marksman. After the American Marksman has been determined, the high-finishers in each of the three categories not represented by the overall winner will be named as the national champions for their respective categories.

Local Qualifying Rules

At the local qualifying level, all shooters will use .22 caliber firearms (.22 long rifle ammunition only) and will choose to use handgun, rifle or both at time of registration. Shooters can bring their own firearms (see in depth rules about firearms below). If shooters do not have their own firearms, they may rent or borrow from the local qualifying range facility, if available.

If a competitor registers for both firearm types, he/she will shoot 2 paper targets for each firearm type.

Targets for the local level will be made of heavy stock paper.

The course of fire (for one firearm) shall be completed using two (2) target sheets and will consist of 3 strings on each target sheet. Two (2) target sheets will be provided with registration fee and will be given to the competitor at the local qualifying range that he/she chose during the registration process.

Target distance shall be 20 feet for handgun and 30 feet for rifle.

Total rounds fired per target sheet shall be 25. Total rounds fired during the 2-sheet course of fire will be 50. See the image of the target sheet below for reference.

• "String 1": 2 rounds per target, freestyle (10 rounds total)
• "String 2": 1 round per target, freestyle (5 rounds total)
• "String 3": 2 rounds per target, freestyle (10 rounds total)

Score will be time + penalties. Each of the three (3) strings will be timed separately and recorded on the provided scorecard. After the first 3 strings are complete, Range Master will retrieve target sheet and add up the penalties, which will be added to the score.

Penalties will be scored as follows:

• Completely within the center area will be a “0” (no penalty assessed).
• Completely within the circular /rings area (stars & stripes) is a 2 second penalty.
• Completely outside of the circular area, but still on the target sheet, will be a 4 second penalty. The letters that spell out “American Marksman” count as outside the ring areas.
• Any round that completely misses the target sheet will be scored as a 6 second penalty.
• Any procedural penalty will be scored as a +6.

Procedural penalties will be defined as:

• A round that completely misses the target sheet.
• Failure to follow commands or course guidelines.
• Any other instance deemed by Range Officer as worthy of procedural penalty.

General rule on penalties: If a round leaves an impact point that crosses over two different scoting areas, the penalty assessed will be the lowest (or least harmful to a competitor’s score) available. The range master administering the contest shall have the final say on all penalties.

 String 1 time + String 2 time + String 3 time + all penalties

Maximum Time: Each competitor must finish the 3-string course within 3 minutes. Additional target sheets will not be provided unless competitor registers again on www.AmMarksman.com and provides confirmation to Range Master.

After the competitor has completed the first 3-string course, the second target will be affixed and the process will begin anew.

Range Master will manually enter scores on to an official American Marksman scoresheet while the contest is underway. After both courses (2 target sheets) have been completed and scored, the Range Master will enter both scores into the American Marksman website for upload to the leaderboards.

After both target sheets have been completed, the range master and competitor will review the results and the range master will explain his/her scoring decisions. If both parties are in agreement, range master and competitor will initial the score sheet and fill in the date. Once a scoresheet is initialed by both parties, no protest and/or complaint will be heard. Please see below for protest procedure.

Sight Pictures

Participants are allowed to take a sight picture prior to the start signal and shooting the course of fire.

Sight picture can only be completed with the firearm being used to compete.

Scoring Protests/Discrepancies

If a competitor believes that a score was judged or recorded incorrectly by the range master, the competitor will have seven (7) days to inform American Marksman of the situation.

American Marksman makes no guarantees that any protest/complaint will be upheld.

In the event of a protest or discrepancy, the burden of proof is on the competitor to prove that his/her score should be changed.

A protest fee of $50 per filing will be charged and will be due (via check made out to American Marksman) within 7 days of the filing. Checks should be mailed to: American Marksman 1000 Chopper Circle Denver, CO 80204

If a competitor wishes to file an official protest, he/she SHOULD NOT initial the scoresheet. Instead, the competitor should provide the following items to American Marksman in the form of an email to [email protected] with "Protest" in the subject line.

• Image/photo of target sheet in question.
• Image/photo of scoresheet in question.
• Written explanation of the incident with as many facts as are available included.

Please note the following rules and guidelines of a protest situation:

• A protest fee of $50 per filing will be collected before the protest is reviewed.
• American Marksman will confer with the range master that administered the contest before making a decision.
• American Marksman will not accept testimony, points of view, video or pictures from any third parties including relatives and friends of the competitor.
• Filing a protest in no way guarantees that a favorable result for the competitor will be rendered.
• Any protest filing received after the 7 day period WILL NOT be considered.
• If American Marksman upholds the protest, the protest fee check will be destroyed and not deposited/cashed. If the protest is not upheld, the protest fee check will be deposited by American Marksman.
• American Marksman will attempt to review and make decisions on all protests within three (3) business days of receipt but a specific timeline is not guaranteed.

Note on re-shoots:

A reshoot will only be awarded if there is a malfunction of the targets or other range related problem. This DOES NOT include a firearm or ammo malfunction.

Firearms Allowed

Note: These rules are for the local qualifying round only. Rules documents governing the regional and national championship rounds will be provided at a later date.

Firearms used must be serviceable and safe and be of .22LR caliber only. Firearms and sighting systems must be, or have been, available to the general public in quantities of at least 1000 produced.

Handguns must be of a typical configuration (stocks, arm or wrist braces, etc. are not allowed) and must be held and fired using only the hand(s) of the competitor.Rifles must be of a typical configuration and must be fired from the shoulder with no supporting devices of any kind.

Magazines may have no more than 10 rounds and 11 rounds is the maximum capacity of any firearm at the start of each string.

Conventional iron sights, red dots and variable powered optics are allowed. Lasers or projected beams of any kind are not allowed to be used. Suppressors are not allowed to be used. The sighting system shall not be adjusted in between strings.

Note: If a change of firearm becomes necessary due to a mechanical issue, the competitor will be allowed to replace his/her initial firearm with a replacement firearm that is a similar make and model, with approval of the Range Master. The replacement firearm must meet the same guidelines and requirements listed above.

Range Commands

The Range Officer administering the local qualifying round contest will issue a series of commands to ensure safety. The commands, and expected responses, are below:

• Shooter should be facing down range, ensure fit of ear and eye protection, and will assume the low-ready starting position. (Firearm pointed at ground a few feet in front of shooter's feet).
• "Shooter Ready?" An affirmative answer (or lack of answer) from the shooter means that shooter is ready to begin course of fire. If shooter is not ready for any reason, he/she will responds with "Not Ready".
• "Stand By" Range officer will activate the timer at this point and the audible start signal should be heard within 2-3 seconds.
• Start Signal This will be an audible sound from the timer and will not be spoken by the Range Master.
• "Unload and Show Clear" This command will be issued when shooter is finished. Shooter will lower the firearm and present it for inspection. Muzzle will be pointed downrange, magazine removed, slide locked or held open, and chamber empty.
• "Bag Firearm" There will be no more firing after this command is issued.
• "Range Clear" Signifies that course of fire is complete. (This can be issued by the Range Master at any time. Shooter will cease fire and remain still until further instructions are issued.)

RANGE OFFICER ASSISTANCE

Range Officer may offer assistance to a shooter during the local qualifying round. The RO may tell the shooter such things as the firearm is not loaded or that the safety is engaged, among others. Shooters will not incur any penalties for accepting assistance, either requested by the shooter or offered by the RO. American Marksman is designed to offer a fun and instructive experience for all shooters and RO assistance is encouraged.

INTERFERENCE (OTHER THAN BY RANGE OFFICER)

If any assistance or interference from an outside source (other than the range officer) is provided, the RSO, at his/her sole discretion, may assess a procedural penalty (6 seconds).

DISQUALIFICATION

A participant may be disqualified, at the discretion of the Range Officer, for any of the following:

• Intentional unsafe shot (sole discretion of the Range Officer)
• Repeated non-answering of RO verbal commands
• Unsafe firearm handling
• Dropped firearm
• Firearm muzzle pointed in any direction except down range during a course of fire.
• Using more than one firearm during a particular course of fire.
• Any unsportsmanlike activity (at sole discretion of the Range Officer) including, but not limited to, cheating/dishonesty, non-adherence to any commands given by any match official, taunting/heckling of other competitors, etc.
• Visible consumption of alcohol or drugs or reasonable suspicion of either activity by RO.
• Refusal to remove offensive garments and replace with reasonable and modest alternatives.

Accidental and/or Negligent Discharge

Any accidental or negligent discharge will result in disqualification.

An accidental or negligent discharge will be defined as:

• A shot that travels in any direction not specified in the course of fire or deemed to be unsafe by Range Officer. Any shot that strikes the ground within 10 feet of the competitor.
• A shot that occurs after completion of the course of fire.
• Any shot that occurs loading, reloading or unloading. This does not include a detonation occurring during these times. If a detonation occurs, the RO must inspect the firearm to ensure proper working order.

Results Posting/Leaderboards

When the Range Officer enters a competitor’s scores, they will automatically be processed by the scoring system and will be added to the American Marksman leaderboards.

The leaderboards will show competitor’s standing in the category of competition selected at registration for the entire region. For example, if a competitor selected the Junior category and competed at a range in Colorado, his/her results would be added to the leaderboard for the Junior category in the Rocky Mountain region.

Leaderboards will be available for viewing on www.AmMarksmsn.com beginning March 1, 2016.

The website, and leaderboards, will be optimized for mobile viewing. Smartphone users can bookmark the website/leaderboards on their phone screens (where it will appear as an app) for easy future access, without having to launch a browser every time.

For a breakdown of the regions by state, please visit our FAQ page, located on the website.