Firearms
Firearms
This domain tests safe handling, marksmanship fundamentals, malfunction clearance, legal use, and qualification. The exam is practical: it asks whether you can run the weapon safely under stress and explain why a shot was or was not justified.
Core rules
- Treat every firearm as loaded; keep the muzzle in a safe direction; keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire; know your target and backstop.
- Marksmanship: stance, grip, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger control, and follow-through.
- Draw and presentation should be smooth and consistent; speed follows accuracy.
- Clear malfunctions with a deliberate sequence: tap, rack, reassess; for a double feed, lock, rip, rack, reload.
- Use cover and concealment; identify the threat and backstop before firing.
- The legal justification for shooting is the use-of-force law, not the firearm rule alone.
Worked example. During qualification, the pistol fires once and the slide stays partly rearward. The officer keeps the muzzle downrange, taps the magazine, racks the slide, and reassesses. Reasoning: the weapon had a failure to feed; the safe correction restores function without pointing the muzzle at anyone. The officer then documents the malfunction if it affects duty readiness.
Traps
- Finger on the trigger during administrative handling.
- Assuming a chamber is empty because the magazine was removed.
- Firing without a safe backstop.
- Speeding through qualification and sacrificing accuracy.
- Failing to report a weapon malfunction or damage.
Exam focus
Demonstrate safe handling, explain the shot, and describe the correction for common malfunctions.