Shooting with a disability can be very difficult and will take a lot of practice, persistence & time to become good at it.
While I may be unsure of how long you’ll have to spend practicing, one thing I know for sure is that it isn’t impossible. I’ve met very good disabled shooters.
Heck, disabled persons even play sports that require more strength. Some deadlift weights… the list does not stop.
Considering that you can’t run in times of trouble & that criminals see you as an easy target, there’s a good advantage to being able to shoot as a disabled. For one, you’ll always have the opportunity to jump into nefarious persons who believe you’re helpless.
Questions to Ask for Shooting With A Disability
Over time, I’ve gathered from my experience with disabled shooters that getting the basics as a starter may be the hardest part of shooting with a disability.
Fortunately, starting can be made easy with the right guidance.
In this article, we’ll look at necessary questions to find answers to before going into shooting as a disabled.
Here we go.
Find the Right Gun by Asking the Right Questions
Sure, every shooter has to make efforts before settling for a weapon that works perfectly for him, but it is even more important for the disabled. Here are the questions to evaluate before buying a gun to use:
- Can your hands grip the gun firmly enough to avoid limp-wrist issues? If you’re unable to hold the gun firm while firing, there’s a good chance that the gun’s brass may not eject correctly, causing your bullets to go astray. A person suffering arthritis or any other wrist weakness will handle revolvers better.
- Is there the ability to pull the trigger? If you have weak hands, it may not be possible for you to pull double-action triggers that come with revolvers or the heavier triggers on semi-auto a. Your best bet may be single-action revolvers if you have any condition restricting your wrist & fingers from moving well.
- Can you extend the firearm forward & hold it there until you make a shot? If not, you have to buy accessories for sights. You may wear wrist braces or any other side to assist with mobility problems or upper body strength.
- Do you have the ability to shoot, draw, reload & holster the gun? This problem can be solved by settling for a customized holster or assuming a different carry position.
- Can you keep the gun going? That is, is there a way to maintain the gun. You’ll have to be able to disassemble the gun, clean & lubricate it before reassembling. If you can’t do so yourself, is there a friend who can always help?
- Are there ranges made for the handicapped in your neighborhood? You have to be able to practice easily.
Shooting With a Wheelchair
Sitting in the wheelchair always translates to spine damage & loss of bodily strength. Shooting a gun can therefore be problematic.
However, this may not be noticed if you have sufficient upper strength to pull the trigger & hold at extended range. A good way to tell if a person has the strength is if he uses a manual wheelchair.
As a solution, you have to indulge in more practices that will help build strength. You may try out weight lifting or other exercises. I suggest that you consult a physical therapist to get expert recommendations based on what’s best for your circumstances.
As soon as you can hold a firearm steady & withstand the recoil, you’re halfway into shooting successfully.
Shooting from the wheelchair can be especially challenging, as people will pick on you often. And we haven’t considered that some people will knock you out of the chair just to be sure you’re completely helpless. To avoid this, you must be able to pull & shoot your gun in a split second.
If necessary, hire a verified self-defense instructor for the disabled who’ll be able to work with you until you attain peak condition. Make sure your instructor listens to you & takes notes where necessary.
Counter moves & situational awareness are two critical groups of knowledge that you must pay attention to at all times. The first is to have an advantage if someone tries to get you out of the chair, while the other is to stay ahead of everything in your immediate surroundings.
A smart move to make would be keeping your gun inside your cane, but this can be so illegal.
Shooting With Extreme Pain
Arthritis & a couple of other chronic pains can make shooting as a disabled incredibly difficult. This aside, you have to take note of the medications you’re on too.
Do you feel dizzy or experience blurry eyesight after using them? If yes, you need to know better than shooting when you’re still under their influence. Mixing drugs & guns can go wrong in an instant.
What is also critical is your pain tolerance & how long it takes you to recover from pain.
I have some recommendations when you’re shooting with chronic pain, they are:
- Your practice sessions have to be short. Better to have plenty of short sessions than few longer sessions.
- Engage in exercises that help to relax & stretch the muscles in-between sessions.
- Use Airsofters or other systems that don’t leave you exposed to recoil during practice. You can use some time at the range to improve accuracy & getting more drills done. While you’ll surely engage in some love firing, using Airsoft systems will help you to be more familiar with every necessary motion without the fear of hurting yourself or anyone else.
- Always be conscious of how concentrated you are. If you realize you’re becoming tired, end the session to avoid distractions. They are what causes accidents.
Concluding Lines on Shooting With A Disability
Shooting with a disability is not the hardest thing in the world. I think that’ll be being unable to do a thing in the face of a threat. Learn through the pain; it won’t kill you. But having no skill sets at all to defend yourself as disabled may kill you very easily.