Safety Regulations and Commands

1. No weapon is to be out of the holster and unsecured unless you are on the firing line. Long guns will be slung and allowed to hang unless you are on the firing line. Do not take weapons out of the holster behind the firing line while others are firing. Do not charge any weapon until you are positioned on the firing line while facing downrange.

2. The verbal command “Make it safe/ Let them hang” means to cease firing and holster your weapon and/or safe your long gun and let it hang. It is not necessary to unload the weapon prior to holstering. You should know the condition of your weapons at all times. Any weapon equipped with a safety or safeties will have it/them engaged at all times while not actively engaging a target downrange.

3. The verbal command “Cease Fire” means to immediately safe and holster or safe and sling your weapon and place your hands on top of your head. This command is reserved for emergencies.

4. The verbal command “Man downrange” means to ensure that your weapons are safe and holstered/slung as someone is moving to the target line for administrative purposes. Hands will remain off of your weapons until ALL personnel have returned up range and the firing line is deemed safe to continue by the instructor cadre.

5. Any weapon to be left unattended for any reason will be placed on the deck muzzle pointing downrange with the magazine removed and no round in the weapon’s chamber. The bolt/slide will be locked to the rear and the ejection port will be facing up so as to allow anyone walking past to observe that the weapon is unloaded.

6. The class understands that safety is the responsibility of all participants and that every member of the class is a designated safety officer and should be on the lookout for safety violations. All verbal commands will be repeated loudly by everyone in the training area to ensure that all parties have heard these commands. Fingers used to fire will be kept out of the trigger guard and positioned straight along the body of the weapon held until said weapon is brought to bear on a designated target. All participants will be aware of where their muzzles are pointed at all times and use discipline to not point them in any direction which endangers other training participants. Participants will be aware of their targets and what lies beyond them.

7. Firearms training is inherently dangerous and any dangers are exacerbated by negligence among participants. Muzzle sweeps, accidental/negligent discharges, and horseplay will not be tolerated and may result in your immediate dismissal from training without refund of your tuition. Ronin Combat Strategies and its agents reserve the right to immediately dismiss from further training any participant deemed by the instructor staff to be performing actions in an unsafe manner.

Cardinal Safety Rules:

1. 1. Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.
2. 2. Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to kill or destroy.
3. 3. Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you are ready to fire.
4. 4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

Additional Safety Rules:

• Don’t retrieve equipment off the ground before commanded to do so.
• Squat not kneel, with muzzle awareness at all times.
• Hot Brass Procedures - sling or holster your weapon first before stepping off the firing line to retrieve hot brass.

*Ronin Combat Strategies reserves the right to remove any student for safety violations.

Physical Condition

All Ronin Combat Strategies courses are physically demanding. We spend long days on the range. Although we will make every attempt to take breaks on the hour, it is each student’s responsibility to assess physical condition. Stay hydrated, bring snacks and energy bars to maintain optimum performance. Please notify staff if you have a problem. Be prepared for the outdoor elements, weather, temperature, etc. If you feel the need to sit out, do so.