NRAI issues ‘strongly-worded advisory’ after breach of rules by shooter last year

National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) issued a 'strongly-worded advisory' to shooting range officials for a 'serious saftey violation' during the National Championships last year when a woman shooter pointed her gun towards the spectators' gallery.

The range officials, instead of disqualifying her for breaking the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) rules, asked for the lane number or firing point on which she was shooting.

The shooter in question, whose name is undisclosed, gave a wrong lane number, which belonged to another shooter. Due to this, the other shooter, who represented Uttar Pradesh at the November-December Nationals, was disqualified.

The said shooter, name undisclosed, had breached Rule 6.12.6.3 of the ISSF, which reads: “Serious Safety Violations. a) If the Jury determines that an athlete has handled a gun or violated a safety rule in a dangerous manner, the athlete must be disqualified (DSQ) see 6.2.2.

Rule 6.2.2 states: “To ensure safety, all guns must be handled with maximum care at all times. Guns must not be removed from the firing line during training or competition except with the permission of a Range Officer.

Rule 6.2.2.3 states: “While athletes are on their firing points, their guns must always be pointed in safe directions. The action or breech must not be closed until the gun is pointing downrange in a safe direction toward the target area.”

There are very stringent rules for handling weapons, even 10m air rifles and air pistols, as mishandling them can lead to grievous injuries, even loss of life, and range officials are expected to maintain the highest level of vigil in such cases.