What I'm talking about and have a serious distaste for is when a club requires a non-competing individual to prove their skill with a holster. Yes, they may have agreed with those club rules and I also understand that, but at the core I have a problem with a club making such rules for casual shooters. It discourages people from expanding their interest in the sport.
A little late to the thread .. Our club Exec and BOD are going through this discussion right now and are just as split as the people in this thread. Many common things being said .. no one wants to put up hurdles and impose non-legal requirements on non-competitive members etc. etc. There is general consensus though, in that using a holster (drawing and firing, not just carrying an empty firearm) actually does require a little training .. which is why IPSC, IDPA, CAS, SAS etc. all cover it at some point.
So ... how does a club deal with an individual that has no training, is not part of a discipline that offers it, and is using a holster to draw and shoot in an unsafe manor? If there are no "rules" then there is no way to deal with this as the individual can simply say .. "There are no rules saying I can't use my holster." Yes, as a safety issue it must be dealt with at the time but if there is a push back .. the only recourse seems to be expulsion from the club. Kicking someone out for a safety concern but not acknowledging the issue on a level that means offering a "holster course" or similar training to cover the basic safety concerns leaves the individual with no choice but to spend $$ and join one of the holster using disciplines or skip using a holster. Would this not discourage people from expanding their interest in the sport?
Many people in our club feel a free course offering basic holster training is the way to go (and I agree). This way the safety concern is covered and individuals can use their holsters as they please. Will the "holster course" (what ever the club decides that to consist of) be 100% effective in stopping any and all accidents? of course not but the feeling is due diligence on the clubs part has been met. So, other than outright banning the use of holsters for anyone not involved with a discipline that covers holster use dictate that "some" form of training be offered by the club for those that want to use a holster but don't want to join one of those disciplines?
We did a quick check with a few clubs in BC that allow holster use and they ONLY allow it under very specific guidelines and there are indeed rules to be followed. Often holster use is restricted to ONLY during club events and while engaged in the event AND at that specific area (you can't wander around with your holstered firearm). I find this very restrictive and would gladly take a "holster course" in what ever form it's offered if it meant I could carry any where and everywhere on our club property.
Port Coquitlam & District Hunting & Fishing Club allows members to carry unloaded firearms in a holster when involved in practice and actual competitions. The holster-carry has to be in the immediate range area where the activity takes place. Individual practice is permitted on designated ranges on or near designated shooting positions. The club does not allow members to wander around carrying a holstered firearm (parking lot, clubhouse, etc).
Ridgedale Rod and Gun Club allows members to deploy firearms from a holster when they are involved in practice or competitions but the member must be near his/her assigned shooting position or under the direction of a range master for that type of activity. Independent practice rules allow holster-use but the member must be on or near their designated shooting position.
Mission Rod & Gun Club holster use is approved for designated ranges or activity centers (Cowboy Action bays) during practice or competitions. Members must be on the assigned range or using a designated holster use shooting position.
In all cases, members are permitted to use holsters with pistols either unloaded or fully-prepared with a round in the chamber (as in Police Pistol Combat competitions). Members are not permitted to wander around the club property with a firearm in a holster, loaded or not.
Granted this was a quick look at a very small number of clubs, but it seems evident that once "holster use" is allowed, then guidelines and rules come into play. If a club has no policy on holster use outside of the specific disciplines that use holsters, then the club has little recourse in dealing with problems arising from "general holster use" other than the heavy hand of expulsion from the club for safety reasons.
For the record, this is the response I got from the Firearms Officer in Prince George when I discussed this issue with him.
"The Canadian Firearms Program does NOT endorse any holster course nor do we endorse/reject the use of holsters on ranges. Ranges are responsible for the safety of all persons on range property.
Ron Hardy
Firearms Officer
British Columbia & Yukon
Canada Firearms Program | Programme canadien des arms a feu
Royal Canadian Mounted Police | Gendarmerie royale du Canada"
So .. it's up to the clubs to decide what, if anything, they want to do around holster use. Smaller more remote clubs are not likely to worry, larger and busier clubs will. At the end of the day, you make the choice and either comply with existing rules, accept newly imposed rules, or move on to a different club. Simply ignoring the potential for problems is not going to go over well in court if there is an accident and your club is sued. Wouldn't it better to be able to tell the Judge we did our due diligence to the best of our ability rather than .. ya, we talked about a holster course to give untrained individuals the basics but didn't want to burden them or discourage them from expanding their interest in the sport?
