Nevada Carry
  • Home
    • Contact >
      • FAQ
    • Safety
    • Search
  • Blog
  • Open Carry
    • Open Carry Safety
    • Open Carry and the Constitution
    • Open Carry Safety
  • Concealed Carry
    • How to Get a CCW
    • Carrying on a CCW
  • Car Carry
  • Local Laws
    • Public Buildings
    • Blue Cards
    • Preemption History
  • Self-Defense
  • Buying and Selling Guns
    • Universal Background Checks
  • Other States
    • CA Carry

Nevada Carry Blog
For full archive, see the Blogspot archive

​Why does IDPA prohibit open carry in its matches?

9/3/2019

 
Picture
​Why do the rules for IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) prohibit open carry in its matches? 
1.2.1 Equipment Principles

A. Concealable: All equipment (except flashlights) will be placed so that it is not visible while wearing a
concealment garment, with your arms extended to your sides, parallel to the ground.
B. Practical: All equipment must be practical for all day concealed carry self-defense, and worn in a manner that is
appropriate for all day continuous wear.

3.1 Concealment Garments
A concealment garment is required for all stages unless otherwise specified in the stage description. This includes standards and limited stages.

Police or military personnel may use actual duty gear in Tier 1 matches. See definition of duty gear in the Equipment Section. Use of duty gear eliminates concealment requirements.
Additionally, are numerous prohibitions of things like compensators, add-on weights, extended magazine releases, holsters not practical for everyday concealed carry, etc. Essentially, a gun used should be in as close to factory condition possible.
 
The short answer is to keep IDPA shooting as close to a realistic self-defense scenarios as possible. As Ken Hackathorn, one of the originators of both USPSA and IDPA pointed out to Ian MacCollum of InRangeTV, USPSA grew away from its tactical origins to become a gear and reloading manipulation competition. Most of the gear, holsters, and firearm modifications for USPSA has more to do with speed than defensive or tactical considerations. IDPA was a reaction to the “equipment races.”
 
Specifically to open carry, IDPA requires concealed carry for several reasons. At the time it was started, open carry was not a usual method of everyday defensive carry when even concealed carry was illegal or highly restricted in many states.
 
More practically, there is no real way to distinguish regular open carriers from those who would only do it for an advantage in competition. It is guaranteed that if an everyday concealed carrier could speed up his IDPA match times by openly carrying on the range, they would do it, but would lose out on the skills like drawing from concealment. IDPA after all was intended partially to help self-defense shooting skills in realistic scenarios.
8.7 Duty Gear Exemption

Police and military personnel using the duty gear exemption are exempt from:
a. Using concealment garment
b. Holster design and placement requirements (other than listed above)
c. Ammunition carrier design and placement requirements
d. Belt design and placement requirements
Law enforcement and military are exempt because they regularly carry openly. This allows them to build and practice skills they can realistically use rather than just cutting down on their times. If civilian open carriers came with a mark or something to distinguish them as bonafide open carriers then maybe IDPA would let them do it too.
 
So IDPA is not putting down open carry. Rather, they are keeping the matches as close to “real world” scenarios as possible by keeping the “gear queers” from ruining the sport.

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    September 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Campus Carry
    Ccsd
    Schools

    RSS Feed

    Blogspot Archive
    Blog roll
    Clayton E. Cramer
    Gun Watch
    Gun Free Zone

    The War on Guns
    ​Commander Zero
    The View From Out West
 This does not constitute, nor should be implied as, legal advice. Always seek an attorney's advice and consult state and local laws yourself. User assumes all liability for use of the information provided here. Site has been reviewed by certified instructors. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.​ Copyright 2024.
  • Home
    • Contact >
      • FAQ
    • Safety
    • Search
  • Blog
  • Open Carry
    • Open Carry Safety
    • Open Carry and the Constitution
    • Open Carry Safety
  • Concealed Carry
    • How to Get a CCW
    • Carrying on a CCW
  • Car Carry
  • Local Laws
    • Public Buildings
    • Blue Cards
    • Preemption History
  • Self-Defense
  • Buying and Selling Guns
    • Universal Background Checks
  • Other States
    • CA Carry