CEASE fire!

[phil evans]

what is the correct protocol/action of shooters when a cease fire is yelled?

1. to immediately lay firearm down and step away.
or
2. to make firearm safe and then step away.

i teach hunter education and my lecturers teach this both ways.

[Griff Murphey]

In normal rifle matches it means first of all to stop shooting. Usually such a command is given for one of two reasons; 1). Expired time of a match which the shooters expect, or time for a routine cease fire for target change. In this case the shooters should know to go ahead and clear their rifles and follow their normal protocol at that range; or 2). An unexpected cease fire is called because there is an emergency such as a person, aircraft, or animal downrange, or other safety problem. If this is the case the range officer should add "Clear all rifles" and if necessary "Move out of position and step behind the firing line" or "remove your equipment from the firing line" which will depend on whether this cease fire is going to be temporary or will require a lot of time to take care of the problem; broken target or...? If people will have to go downrange to resolve the issue the shooters will definitely be ordered off of the line.

The salient point is to stop firing the instant the command CEASE FIRE is given, because you must always assume it is a safety issue.

[Maury Krupp]

"CEASE FIRE" means "STOP SHOOTING"

That's all it means.

If Center Line (or whoever's in charge of the range) wants me to do something more he needs to say so (eg, "UNLOAD" or "CLEAR ALL RIFLES AND INSERT EMPTY CHAMBER INDICATORS" or whatever else the range protocol may be).

Maury

[dave]

Well I don't know Maury, there will always be the idiot who stops shooting but turns around to ask "whats up?", all the while swinging his rifle all over the range and behind as he turns. At our range it meant open action and lay down rifle pointing down range! (and of course 'cease fire') At the start of a shoot we did not even pick rifle up till ordered to do so!

[Dan Shapiro]

Have to agree with Maury. "Cease fire" means exactly that. STOP FIRING! This should be immediately followed by further SPECIFIC commands.

I've always been taught that you don't make assumptions, trusting that people will use their common sense. You issue specific directions so as to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation of what you want done.

At the local indoor range, the line officer gave the command to 'cease fire, all shooters move behind the firing line'. And of course, one idiot moved behind the firing line with a loaded weapon in his hand.

[Griff Murphey]

At Fort Sill for ROTC summer camp in 1970 the command CEASE FIRE was followed by: "CLEAR ALL RIFLES! PULL THE BOLT TO THE REAR AND LOCK IT TO THE REAR. REMOVE THE MAGAZINE. INSPECT THE CHAMBER. PUT YOUR FINGER IN THE EMPTY CHAMBER TO VERIFY IT'S EMPTY. NOW LET THE BOLT GO FORWARD. HOLD THE RIFLE HIGH OVER YOUR HEAD LIKE GERONIMO! NOW PULL THE TRIGGER! PULL IT AGAIN!" - clickety clickety click they would all go. Note the Army preferred a closed bolt on a theoretically empty chamber, so the safety could NOT be applied. I always thought this routine was a little ridiculous but I guess since the M-14 did not have a real positive lock-open like an M-1 it made some sense. Today the reference to Geronimo would not be PC.

[Dan Shapiro]

At Ft Ord, during basic, part of the command sequence, prior to shooting was to "Lock your bolt to the rear, stick your finger in the chamber and verify that it is EMPTY!. Now ground your weapon and check the barrel for obstructions. If you find an obstruction, take it out, AND LEAVE IT OUT!

I later asked my DI why that last command was given. Seems some recruit found an obstruction in the barrel (cleaning rod section of all things) - he took it out, the barrel was free of obstructions. HE THEN PUT THE CLEANING ROD SECTION BACK IN THE BARREL!