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THE CHALLENGED SHOOTER
A plastic dummy gun allows
new shooters to experiment with
unfamiliar carry methods and
practice drawing without fear that
they might accidentally discharge a
live round during the process.
For challenged shooters who need
to work on balance or related issues
while handling a gun, using an Airsoft
replica provides the best safety.
tions on the shooter’s ability to draw a
handgun from concealment. A method
of carry will have to be selected that
makes the most of the shooter’s mobility.
For example, if he’s in a wheelchair,
any carry position behind the hips will
make it almost impossible to draw the
gun with any speed. The shooter’s body
will press the gun into the wheelchair,
and their arm (particularly the elbow)
may strike the chair as their hand goes
to the grip. Cross-draw or shoulder holsters
will prove much more effective in
such cases, or a holster or pouch attached
to the wheelchair. Use of crutches,
a cane, or a walker, will also impose
restrictions on the best method of carrying
and drawing a handgun.
In the same way, reduced upper
body or arm strength will affect the
shooter’s ability to control a handgun.
I’ve trained many disabled shooters
who couldn’t handle serious recoil, and
couldn’t raise a heavy handgun to eye
level for more than a few seconds, making
use of the sights very difficult. Such
people will have to select weapons and
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calibers they can control. This applies
not only to defensive use, but to training.
Many disabled shooters, including
myself, experience progressively increasing
pain or fatigue during a training
session. If their handgun adds to
the problem through excessive recoil,
training will become a burden rather
than a pleasure; counter-productive, to
put it mildly!
Medication and pain
If the shooter uses medications, these
must be carefully assessed. Many disabled
people take painkillers, muscle
relaxants, nerve agents, or other medicines.
I always look at the manufacturer’s
instructions. If there are warnings
about driving or operating machinery
while taking it, then caution should be
exercised in teaching the user to handle
firearms. If there is any doubt at all, ask
the shooter’s doctor to rule on what is,
or is not, advisable. Certainly, shorter
training sessions, increased supervision
(preferably one-on-one on the
firing line, although fewer instructors
are okay for classroom lectures), and
constant alertness by both student and
instructor to the shooter’s physical and
mental condition are essential for the
safety of all concerned. Don’t ignore
fatigue or wandering concentration;
rather, end the training session earlier.
There is also the shooter’s pain tolerance
to consider. Many handicapped
shooters will experience increasing
pain while pushing their body through
a series of shooting drills. Such pain can
dull concentration, creating a safety
problem, and the pain can last far beyond
the shooting session, making the
next day or two very uncomfortable.
Instructors must take this into account
and tailor the training to the needs of
the shooter. Training tools, weapons,
techniques, number of repetitions, and
other details must be carefully selected
and structured to minimize any increase
in pain, and the training session
must end before it becomes too much
to bear. The instructor will have to be
sensitive to the shooter’s needs here.
Many, in their eagerness to learn, won’t
USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n MAY/JUNE 2011