Preacherman
Member
I've been working with disabled/handicapped/"challenged" individuals for many years, starting back in South Africa in the 1970's, and continuing after I came to this country. I particularly enjoy teaching them to shoot, sometimes for sport (bullseye, etc.), but mostly for self-defence. I thought our members might find it interesting to see how these folks have to compromise in areas that many of us take for granted - and also how very effective some weapons can be for them, perhaps even more so than for the rest of us.
For a start, those with mental disabilities of any significant nature are obviously out of the loop here - they can't legally own or use a firearm. However, moderate to severe physical disability doesn't mean that a handgun is out of the question. I've worked with stroke victims, paraplegics, even quadraplegics who have limited arm and hand function.
The biggest problem for most of these folks is loss of muscle power, loss of body tension, and loss of nervous system control. A semi-auto pistol is frequently unusable for them, because they can't help "limp-wristing" it, even if they try hard. A possible exception to this is the new Springfield XD Sub-Compact: I had a few of them try out this gun over the past weekend, and there were no limp-wristing problems with it. It's light and compact, so that those with low hand/arm strength can lift and use it: and the recoil from 9mm. Parabellum is not so "hot" as to cause severe difficulty. Best of all, one can get a little "micro" weaponlight for it, and that makes it VERY useful for someone who's housebound.
Nevertheless, until the advent of this pistol (and probably for years to come for many folks), I've concentrated on revolvers for disabled persons. These are simpler in their manual of arms (important for those who've lost strength and/or dexterity); their actions can be nicely smoothed over, giving a reasonably light double-action trigger pull; they're compact enough to be concealable in a wheelchair; there is no worry about "limp-wristing" affecting the function; and they're available in suitable defensive calibers and loads without the wrist-wrenching recoil of the hotter magnum rounds.
A caliber I've come to love in smaller revolvers is the .44 Special. It comes in guns that aren't so light that the recoil is vicious, but does a very reasonable job in the "stopping power" department. A 5-shot revolver such as the S&W 296/396/696, the Rossi M720, or the Taurus M431, is usually manageable by those with limited hand/arm strength and/or dexterity, and is very authoritative with the right loads. Many others use .38 Special: in a 4" barrel, most .38 loads are sufficiently powerful to be a reasonable defence choice. For those with severe strength or dexterity limitations, I've used .32 H&R Magnum revolvers, or even .22 revolvers - I don't like the last two choices, but they're better than nothing!
I find the biggest difficulty in teaching these folks is that their strength and co-ordination are lacking, so they have to start slowly, and work up gently. I usually start them out with a .22LR revolver, at a distance of a few feet only. Once they can hit a 1" dot regularly at one or two yards, I take the target out to 5 yards, and they try from there. After this, it's out to 10 yards, and (for some, who have sufficient dexterity) to 15 yards. When they can keep their shots inside a 4" group at 15 yards (I know this sounds like bad shooting to an unimpaired shooter, but bear in mind that these folks have limited strength and co-ordination), it's time to move to something bigger.
I move them up to a S&W K-frame 4" revolver with light loads (target wadcutters, etc.), and go through the same increase-the-range-and-work-on-accuracy routine. I then move up to more powerful loads, equivalent to most defensive rounds. For those who have the strength to handle it, I'll let them progress to .44 Special. It normally takes them 3 to 6 months, shooting two or three times a month, to develop the skills needed to keep suitable defensive loads inside a 4" group at 15 yards. The overwhelming criterion here is the ability to control the gun in reasonably accurate rapid fire. Many of them can't get an adequate two-handed hold on the gun, and for these folks, .38 Special is usually as far as they can get.
Of course, many of the drills we do in shooting courses are impossible for these folks to manage. Barricade drills - what about your wheelchair binding on the barrier? Shooting from cover or concealment - what if you can't move fast enough or freely enough to get there? Shooting from positions other than the most basic (i.e. seated in a wheelchair, standing - even that's difficult for a stroke victim sometimes!, and so on) is largely ignored. Most of them have to learn simple, basic techniques, and master them. Sure, they'd be at a tactical disadvantage in a gunfight, but that's the nature of the beast...
For carry purposes, I discourage lightweight snubbies, except for those with the strength to control them in reasonably rapid defensive fire. Most of these folks have too little strength and/or dexterity to manage a titanium or scandium snubnose revolver loaded with a "serious" defensive round. However, a normal-weight snubbie, or a S&W K-frame (Model 10, 13, 19, 66, etc.) loaded with a .38 Special +P out of a 4" barrel, does a reasonably good job. For those who like the .44 Special load, and can manage its recoil, I try to pick up used Rossi's, Taurus's, etc. whenever I can find them at a reasonable price.
I've recently begun experimenting with Crimson Trace laser grips for these folks. These have the potential to exponentially improve their shooting, as many of them don't have the strength or dexterity to repeatedly bring the gun up to eye level, get a good sight picture, and squeeze off a round. Indeed, for some of them whose condition is worsening with time, it may be the only way they can get off an accurate shot in an emergency. Unfortunately, the CT grips are expensive... and for folks who are mostly on welfare or disability payments, these are hard to afford. (If any of you have a set of CT grips lying around, that you'd be prepared to donate, or if you're willing to buy a set for a deserving person, please PM me - they will bless you!)
Hope you found this interesting. How about volunteering to teach shooting skills to some of the disabled/handicapped associations in your area?
For a start, those with mental disabilities of any significant nature are obviously out of the loop here - they can't legally own or use a firearm. However, moderate to severe physical disability doesn't mean that a handgun is out of the question. I've worked with stroke victims, paraplegics, even quadraplegics who have limited arm and hand function.
The biggest problem for most of these folks is loss of muscle power, loss of body tension, and loss of nervous system control. A semi-auto pistol is frequently unusable for them, because they can't help "limp-wristing" it, even if they try hard. A possible exception to this is the new Springfield XD Sub-Compact: I had a few of them try out this gun over the past weekend, and there were no limp-wristing problems with it. It's light and compact, so that those with low hand/arm strength can lift and use it: and the recoil from 9mm. Parabellum is not so "hot" as to cause severe difficulty. Best of all, one can get a little "micro" weaponlight for it, and that makes it VERY useful for someone who's housebound.
Nevertheless, until the advent of this pistol (and probably for years to come for many folks), I've concentrated on revolvers for disabled persons. These are simpler in their manual of arms (important for those who've lost strength and/or dexterity); their actions can be nicely smoothed over, giving a reasonably light double-action trigger pull; they're compact enough to be concealable in a wheelchair; there is no worry about "limp-wristing" affecting the function; and they're available in suitable defensive calibers and loads without the wrist-wrenching recoil of the hotter magnum rounds.
A caliber I've come to love in smaller revolvers is the .44 Special. It comes in guns that aren't so light that the recoil is vicious, but does a very reasonable job in the "stopping power" department. A 5-shot revolver such as the S&W 296/396/696, the Rossi M720, or the Taurus M431, is usually manageable by those with limited hand/arm strength and/or dexterity, and is very authoritative with the right loads. Many others use .38 Special: in a 4" barrel, most .38 loads are sufficiently powerful to be a reasonable defence choice. For those with severe strength or dexterity limitations, I've used .32 H&R Magnum revolvers, or even .22 revolvers - I don't like the last two choices, but they're better than nothing!
I find the biggest difficulty in teaching these folks is that their strength and co-ordination are lacking, so they have to start slowly, and work up gently. I usually start them out with a .22LR revolver, at a distance of a few feet only. Once they can hit a 1" dot regularly at one or two yards, I take the target out to 5 yards, and they try from there. After this, it's out to 10 yards, and (for some, who have sufficient dexterity) to 15 yards. When they can keep their shots inside a 4" group at 15 yards (I know this sounds like bad shooting to an unimpaired shooter, but bear in mind that these folks have limited strength and co-ordination), it's time to move to something bigger.
I move them up to a S&W K-frame 4" revolver with light loads (target wadcutters, etc.), and go through the same increase-the-range-and-work-on-accuracy routine. I then move up to more powerful loads, equivalent to most defensive rounds. For those who have the strength to handle it, I'll let them progress to .44 Special. It normally takes them 3 to 6 months, shooting two or three times a month, to develop the skills needed to keep suitable defensive loads inside a 4" group at 15 yards. The overwhelming criterion here is the ability to control the gun in reasonably accurate rapid fire. Many of them can't get an adequate two-handed hold on the gun, and for these folks, .38 Special is usually as far as they can get.
Of course, many of the drills we do in shooting courses are impossible for these folks to manage. Barricade drills - what about your wheelchair binding on the barrier? Shooting from cover or concealment - what if you can't move fast enough or freely enough to get there? Shooting from positions other than the most basic (i.e. seated in a wheelchair, standing - even that's difficult for a stroke victim sometimes!, and so on) is largely ignored. Most of them have to learn simple, basic techniques, and master them. Sure, they'd be at a tactical disadvantage in a gunfight, but that's the nature of the beast...
For carry purposes, I discourage lightweight snubbies, except for those with the strength to control them in reasonably rapid defensive fire. Most of these folks have too little strength and/or dexterity to manage a titanium or scandium snubnose revolver loaded with a "serious" defensive round. However, a normal-weight snubbie, or a S&W K-frame (Model 10, 13, 19, 66, etc.) loaded with a .38 Special +P out of a 4" barrel, does a reasonably good job. For those who like the .44 Special load, and can manage its recoil, I try to pick up used Rossi's, Taurus's, etc. whenever I can find them at a reasonable price.
I've recently begun experimenting with Crimson Trace laser grips for these folks. These have the potential to exponentially improve their shooting, as many of them don't have the strength or dexterity to repeatedly bring the gun up to eye level, get a good sight picture, and squeeze off a round. Indeed, for some of them whose condition is worsening with time, it may be the only way they can get off an accurate shot in an emergency. Unfortunately, the CT grips are expensive... and for folks who are mostly on welfare or disability payments, these are hard to afford. (If any of you have a set of CT grips lying around, that you'd be prepared to donate, or if you're willing to buy a set for a deserving person, please PM me - they will bless you!)
Hope you found this interesting. How about volunteering to teach shooting skills to some of the disabled/handicapped associations in your area?
