Manager of NRA's Disabled Shooting ServicesVanessa Warner was good enough to send us the following on her recent trip to Richmond, Virginia:

The latest New Shooter Clinic was held at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia on June 26. I departed at 6:30 a.m. with junior volunteer Rory McAllister in tow. Traffic was kind and we arrived a little more than two hours later.

First thing on the agenda was to check in with campus police. Airgun shooting is relatively new to them so the officers were being understandably cautious. After meeting the Chief of Police, we were escorted to the multipurpose room and started to unload my little station wagon. Fortunately, Bruce Jones and his crew of volunteers were there to help with task. The car was unloaded in no time and the Creedmoor Range Systems was ready to go.

Participants arrived just before 10:00 a.m. After a round of applause and a review of the rules, we moved right into the adaptive equipment and shooting positions. Though each gun has been adapted for wheelchairs the position names are still the same: offhand, sitting, kneeling and prone. The positions are adapted as follows:

• Offhand/Standing, unsupported position - Competitors must sit upright. They can use the shooting table only as a support stand as long as the competitor’s arms and torso do not come into contact with the table.
• Sitting, supported - Both elbows may be on the table but the chest and/or abdomen may not touch the table.
• Kneeling, semi supported - Only one elbow may rest on the shooting table. Chest/abdomen may not touch the table. Wheelchair sidearms must be removed.
• Prone (laying down), fully supported - Both elbows may rest on the shooting table. The chest and abdomen can also rest on the table.

After the positions were reviewed, volunteers distributed the rifles and shooting stands. In some cases, stands are seen as a competitive advantage. But that is not so in this case. Instead, they allow shooters to compete on the same level as those without upper body injuries. Such is the case in all positions for shooters who sustained severe shoulder injuries, amputation of the arm, or have lost the use of their upper limbs. But there are restrictions: the stand must be placed no more than 5cm before or after the center balance point of the rifle.

Once the stands were in place, competitors worked with the volunteers to sight in the guns and try the different positions. That is when it got interesting. The smack talk starting flying up and down the firing line. They were truly having a great time. Even VA Certified Therapeutic Recreational Specialist Kristen Lessig was getting excited about the ability “her guys” were showing.

We returned for the afternoon session after a noon lunch break and the shooters were ready to go. Next on the agenda was a 10-shot prone and a 10-shot offhand match. There was an atmosphere of fun in the air as everyone moved to the line. They learned the difficulties of offhand and saw scores skyrocket once in the prone position.

While everyone else had been jabbering away, Terry was concentrating on his shots. With a little time and patience, his diligence paid off. Who would have thought that the quietest man on the line would come out on top? Nice shooting Terry!

Everyone had a great time and the day was a huge success. Special thanks to the volunteers and Kristen Lessig of the VA Hospital for coordinating the event. The soldiers we worked with today were preparing for the 29th annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Spokane, WA. We said our goodbyes and promised to share some stories once everyone makes it to Spokane. See you on the firing line out west!

If your group or organization is interested in hosting a New Shooter Clinic for people with physical disabilities, contact Vanessa Warner, Manager of Disabled Shooting Services, at 703-267-1495 or email her at disabled-shooting@nrahq.org.