IDPA Headquarters will be closed Monday, May 27th, for Memorial Day. Normal office hours will resume Tuesday, May 28th.  Have a safe and happy holiday.

I am proud to announce that the preliminary version of the updated IDPA rulebook will soon be available for member feedback. I realize that it has taken 18 months to see the entire project to completion, however, I have always felt that it was more important to get the whole process right than to just push something through quickly.

While, initially the membership will see only the rulebook, we now also have in place a complete Safety Officer training program as well. We also have a complete recertification process that includes online testing so that our members will not have to complete an additional classroom session. The scope of this work was unfathomable.

The proposed rulebook, vetted by the IDPA Board of Directors and Legal, will be posted on IDPA.com for member review and input May 7th thru May 28th. For more information about how to provide feedback, please see below.

The feedback period will be open for three weeks to provide current IDPA members ample time to comment, followed by processing the final rulebook and the start of the Safety Officer (SO) training period. Below you will find more information on the SO certification and recertification process.

This rulebook represents a significant change for IDPA in several ways. This is the first true update of the entire rulebook since the founding of the sport. I am extremely grateful to our founders for their foresight and the strong foundation they created that has kept us on the right path for more than 16 years. This is also the first time we have utilized a member-focused approach to updates, and the indefatigable work and commitment to our sport by the members of our Tiger Teams has been incredibly gratifying. The trial run of collecting member feedback on a draft rulebook adds a lot of time and work to the process, but I believe that it will be worth the effort.

Finally, the new IDPA.com website will help us manage these and future changes. The new website is invaluable, and much of our communication going forward will be provided on that site. Not many mature companies or organizations will tackle two very major projects of this nature simultaneously. We essentially have rebuilt a great deal of the foundation of the sport by reviewing and restructuring the rulebook and completely rebuilding the website. While we still have some growing pains to assess with the website, it has laid the foundation for our members and our clubs to be able to communicate more effectively. In these turbulent political times it is often easier to focus on what is wrong with an organization or system. I hope that the membership will look beyond these growing pains and see how much we are trying to enable the continued success of the sport from the ground up.

I am honored to be part of this organization as it responds to our recent unprecedented growth. I hope you are, as well.

IDPA Rulebook Feedback Information

The proposed RB will be posted for 3 weeks, from May 7th thru May 28th. To access the rulebook and make suggestions, you must be a current IDPA member. During this time, current members can make suggestions to it by logging in at www.idpa.com and selecting the Rules tab at the top. In the center of the page, click on the Propose A Change… option. You will need to Select a Category, and then fill out three pieces of information: the Specific Rule (Section), Issue with the Current Rule, and your Proposed Solution/Change prior to submitting the feedback.

To be efficient with the time of the Tiger Teams as they review these suggestions, there is a character limit in each box, allowing sufficient space to describe the issue while making it easy for the reviewers to assess the suggestion. In an effort to reduce duplication, each suggestion submitted will go into a submission queue and be approved for posting so that all members can see each proposal. The approval/posting process may take up to 2 business days before the suggestion is viewable by the membership. Contributors can make as many submissions as they desire, but only one suggestion per submission will be accepted. We expect a lot of traffic on this site, so please be patient as we review, and approve.

This online option will be the only channel for members to submit feedback on the rulebook. So that we may concentrate on serving our customers and working through the suggestions, Headquarters staff will not be monitoring any forums and will not accept suggestions or changes made verbally, via telephone or email. Only comments made through the website will be considered.

Each Tiger Team will review suggestions made to their area and act on them as needed. Once the feedback period ends, it will take a few weeks for us to update the rulebook and the SO recertification test questions. Please note that the updated rulebook will go into effect on October 1, 2013.

Safety Officer Training

Existing Safety Officer Recertification
Safety Officer (SO) recertification will begin as soon as a final rulebook is published on the IDPA website. At that time, we will begin the testing process and will also resume classes for new SOs. Recertifying SOs will be required to take an online test of 100 questions focused on changes/updates in the new rulebook. A score of 85% or higher is required to pass, and each recertifying SO will have 2 opportunities to pass the test. Immediate feedback on missed questions is provided within the software at the end of the exam. Although a time limit of 2 hours for the test exists, users may stop and save their work and return at a later time to finish. Anyone not passing the exam after 2 attempts will need to take the full length SO class from a Safety Officer Instructor (SOI).

The test will roll out by geographic area and is listed in the schedule below. Members of each group will receive an email a few days prior to their testing period containing the link to the testing area. Please confirm that your email address is correct on the IDPA website so that you receive this important email. Please note that the recertification test will be online only – no written tests will be accepted.

SOs are encouraged to take the exam within one week of receiving the emailed link for testing, thus performance of the testing database is not compromised. If this is not possible, users will have access to the exam for 30 days.

New Safety Officer Classes
New Safety Officer Classes can be scheduled as soon as a final rulebook has been posted and SOIs selected in your state. A new process, including a pre-test that must be taken prior to the class, will be outlined in the rulebook. To apply for the class, each candidate must meet the criteria for SOs as outlined in the Match Officials Handbook. An online-only pre-test, consisting of 50 questions, must be successfully completed prior to the class and proof of completion provided to the instructor (due date to be determined by the SO Instructor offering the class). Upon signing up for the class, the SOI will provide you with a link for the exam. If you are in need of an SO class, contact the Safety Officer Instructor in your area for a schedule or your Area Coordinator or more information.

International Members
As a brief update for our international members, we want to assure you we have not forgotten you. Since the rulebook is the foundation for growth, that has been our primary focus for some time. Once that is in place, we will begin to work on a sustainable, flexible model for our international clubs. One of our International shooters recently sent us a message in which he stated “Our country is different than the rest of the International clubs.” And he is right. But that is only one piece of the challenge. Every country has different needs and regulations. No two are even remotely similar. HQ needs a system to be developed for a scalable, adaptable system that can be used all over the world regardless of country specific requirements. Developing this system is going to be a challenge all unto itself. Based on everything we have on our plate right now, it is likely that we will not begin this work on an international management system until late 2013 or 2014. Until that time, no countries outside the US will have Area Coordinators or SOIs appointed. Any new SO training will take place by US-based instructor, with the exception of Costa Rica, the Philippines and South Africa. That means that each country will have access to any US-based SOIs for training needs this year, based on their availability and willingness to negotiate travel and dates. Members who were already SOs in each country will be able to recertify as SOs by taking the online exam (see schedule below).

The SO Entry Form for the 2013 IDPA US National Championship is now available!

Safety Officer Entry Forms may be found by going to the IDPA website and looking under the download section on the right side of the page for the Nationals match event. Or, you can just CLICK HERE.

If you would like to be considered for SO or Staff for this match, please completely fill out this form and return it as soon as possible. Selections for SO's and Staff will be made on April 22. We look forward to seeing you at this year's IDPA National Championship.

Thank you in advance of your interest and willingness to work this great event.

Last month, the 16th annual Smith & Wesson IDPA Indoor Nationals was held in Springfield, MA. We would like to thank Smith & Wesson for their exemplary and continued sponsorship of our sport, especially during this time of challenge to our Second Amendment rights.

On Saturday evening of the event I addressed the shooters at the banquet, and would like to share the information with our members who were not there. There are many exciting events happening in our sport and here are the highlights.

Tiger Teams:
Many of you have asked about the updated rulebook. I am happy to tell you that I have in my possession a copy of the new IDPA rulebook. Although we still have one Tiger Team working, the SO Education team who is finishing the SO curriculum, we are ready to move forward. The next four steps include:

1. A continuity review which is scheduled for the 3rd week of March. That review, which will include myself, Robert, Terry, Kitty, and other team members, will see us reviewing our document and confirm we have covered every area we want to address.
2. The second step is presenting the new rulebook to the IDPA Board of Directors (BoD).
3. The third step, after BoD changes and approval, is to post the document on the IDPA website for member input.
4. Finally, the fourth step, after assimilating member feedback, is to post the final rulebook, along with a future date that the new rulebook will be in effect. This timeframe between posting of the final rulebook and the effective date will allow members to read it and make themselves familiar with it. We will also use this time to recertify all current SOs and select Safety Officer Instructors for each state. Additionally, our Tigers have selected and are implementing the on-line software that will be used for recertifying current Safety Officers. There will be no charge to our members for this recertification.

As we have mentioned previously, we have always been driven by the need to do the best possible job with the new rulebook, rather than drive to a specific date. We will continue to follow that methodology until such time that we can provide finite dates for each milestone individually.

I am most excited about our continued work on our new website with RangeLog. Events are the lifeblood of any sport - RangeLog’s new Member Services will offer the ability for IDPA clubs to build single day, multi-day and recurring matches and display the events on the club’s detail page, as well as the IDPA’s match calendar.

IDPA competitors will be able to build their personal shooter biography, display or keep private, and allow members to view and bookmark other members from public score cards and leader boards. The new website will also provide IDPA competitors with a central site to view scores from matches and compare best scores/times for each stage they have completed. Coming soon, IDPA clubs can post registration fees and collect fees online, with access to online self-squadding tools and match management.

Smith and Wesson will be hosting the first-even Backup Gun (BUG) Nationals in November of this year. Shooters will be alerted later this year of specifics for this match. Watch for more information about all of these initiatives in the Tactical Journal and on the IDPA website and blog.

Got the post-election blues? Time to join IDPA, hit the range and cheer up. The 2013 IDPA shooting season is just around the corner, so find a match and make your plans.

Step on to almost any range across the United States and you're likely to find an IDPA shooter. Since it's founding October of 1996, the International Defensive Pistol Association has become the home to recreational shooters looking to hone their gun handling skills through challenging defensive scenarios.

Back in 1997 there were just over 1,000 members. And probably more than a few in the shooting community that looked at IDPA and didn't see much of a future for this fledgling organization. Talk about a failure to do right.

Well, today the International Defensive Pistol Association is in all 50 states, as well as active in 54 foreign countries. There are 321 affiliated clubs. And as as of the end of March, the total membership stands at a record 19,937, having grown an incredible 5.82% in the first three months of 2012 alone.

For those nay sayers that had their doubts back in 1996 and 1997 there is just one thing we can say....

How do you like us now?

As IDPA's Executive Director Joyce Wilson will tell you, “we couldn't have gotten here without the tremendous support and dedication of IDPA members. You have helped to make us the fastest growing pistol sport in America, and certainly one of the most fun to participate in.”

With the incredible growth comes the need to establish stronger communication with clubs, match directors and, of course, members. So welcome to the new Down Zero blog where you'll find the latest news, match information, updates from headquarters, shooters profiles, and the occasional random thought (though not subject to a procedural).

Along with @OfficalIDPA on Twitter, ShootIDPA on Facebook, and IDPA TV on YouTube, the Down Zero blog gives you one more way to connect with fellow shooters so you can keep up to speed on all things IDPA.

Blogger ready? Standy By....