Good for you! I'm in that boat now and rue the fact I can't shoot offhand worth doodly-squat anymore.

Sounds good, I hope it gets a good response

Perhaps two different scores then should be considered, those that use the support and those that do not.   
If the shooters using the support were to be more competitive than those that are not using the support it would keep the two groups separated for scoring results.

i think it is a great idea  we need to keep our older shooters .  the hell with worrying about score advantage.   old art

IMO - allowing a standing rest is a good idea as long as the scores are separate from offhand. Several years ago the ISSA entertained the idea of allowing a standing rest for those no longer able to shoot offhand but it never really caught on. Standing rest competitors were to shoot along with offhand shooters so there would be no squading issues.
I'm for just about anything that keeps us competing as long as possible 

Call it range safety or whatever but an accident with injuries automatically becomes a matter of liability. Let's face it ' liability ' is almost a synonym for LAWYERS in the insurance or legal world. Nobody likes the insurance business yet unless your pockets are deep enough to self-underwrite you are a captive patron. The prospect of helping older or physically challenged competitors with an avenue for continued participation is a noble and worthwhile endeavor. I'm all for it but with both eyes open. 

So tweaking or adjusting the rules to accomplish this will realistically require some serious legal forethought. After some summary consideration I would suggest that careful wording of rule changes of this type should be written specifically to exclude any reference to a shooter's infirmity or abilities that the legal community could construe as a safety risk. Any range or sanctioned match that would permit, through their rules, such a possible risk and then subsequently sustain an injury or death as a result of such, will most certainly be susceptible to enough legal weight to possibly close them down. And remember sanctioned match rules apply not only to one but all who participate under such rules. I hate to be such a negative force on this subject but we shooters really don't need any more hurdles, self imposed or not. 

Rick

Gerald wrote on May 22^nd, 2025 at 6:53am:

Frank,
You could use the front rest but stand on one foot and hop up and down to give us 75 yr olds a fighting chance. 

Jack

This is a good start, shooters offering advice and the ramifications of rule changes . I was hesitant to comment on the legal side of this but also compelled to do so even as a follower with no competitive range time in this sport

Rick

The more competitors shooting standing the better, but keep the offhand and supported scores separate.  I'm 71 and practice offhand nearly every day with iron sights.  I sometimes zero the rifle shooting off a rest and it would be a significant unfair advantage.

Just have them sit down and use bench cross sticks.  Score them separate.

Definitely should be a separate class.

Doesn't matter if your sport is football, basketball, golf or shooting, there comes a time for all of us when we can no longer perform at the level we want. If you are going to go with any kind of rest it is no longer off hand shooting and must be in a separate class.  If someone can no longer shoot off hand there are still plenty of bench rest matches and I, like others, would be concerned about safety and liability.  This sounds like a noble effort to help an old friend keep shooting but it could be opening up a can of worms that will eventually come back to bite you.  Do worms have teeth?