NRA befriends the disabled

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

Dave Baskin (left), manager of NRA Disabled Shooting Services and designer of the Rehabilitative Shooting Unit in hospital programs, is shown working on an adaptive shooting position with Richard Lopez of New York City. Photo courtesy of Dave Baskin

Feb. 17, 2005 - Shooting is an extremely versatile sport. It can adapt to children, adults, tall people, small people, individuals, teams, males or females. It is even a sport for people with disabilities.

The National Rife Association (NRA) has established the NRA Disabled Shooting Services. It was formed to give the physically disabled the chance to get or stay involved with shooting sports. The NRA's Disabled Shooting Services Department offers programs that enable people with physical disabilities to enjoy a variety of shooting activities, like competitive shooting events and hunting. The department also provides information to organizations that want to improve their facilities for disabled shooters.

In 1994, Dave Baskin, manager of the NRA Disabled Shooting Services, designed a program, called the NRA Rehabilitative Shooting Unit, that utilizes a precision air rifle as a tool for physical therapists to use in the early rehabilitation of their injured patients.

"The program is basic," Baskin said. "It improves the patient's eye-hand coordination, range of motion, trunk balance, breath control, concentration skills, and probably the most important thing is that it improves their self confidence."

Baskin designed the program to give the supervising medical professional full control over all safety and performance factors during each shooting exercise.

"We use an olympic-type air gun on a support stand. The target is 33 feet away," Baskin explained. "You shoot the pellet into the pellet trap through the target."

The pellets are .177 pellets that are soft, flat faced pellets that only cut through the paper bulls-eye target, and travels no more than 25 yards. The gun is an olympic air gun which allows people with weakness in their hands to pull the trigger, Baskin said. And, all of the shooting is done with the shooter's own eye sight.

"The gun can't be shot unless the therapist loads it," Baskin said. "We use the size target that will make the person feel good. Many people participating don't have a high confidence level. The therapist can mark down the patient's progress and they can see themselves improving. It's about getting them to believe in themselves again."

Many people involved with the program have spinal cord injuries and are in wheel chairs. Baskin said the Rehabilitative Shooting Unit almost accommodates anyone, including people with Multiple Sclerosis and amputation. It is ideal for someone with the loss of one hand, added Baskin, because the support stand helps the patient while shooting.

"A person who does leg lifts for therapy doesn't get any positive feedback unless the therapist tells them, 'Oh, great job.' But with this program, the patients don't depend on another person to get positive feedback," Baskin said. "They can get positive results in their first session. They get a big confidence boost when they hit the bulls eye."

Baskin has established 13 Rehabilitative Shooting Units around the country, along with one in Ireland. The program is given as a grant. Guns, pellets and other shooting equipment is purchased for the accommodators of the program and Baskin inservices each program.

In 1996, the NRA Disabled Shooting Services developed what has turned out to be the most accommodating and progressive marksmanship competition in the history of shooting sports, the NRA-Beeman Grand Prix Championship. It is a 12-city rifle and pistol tour for marksmen with physical disabilities. Baskin developed the tour's format along the lines of the NASCAR Winston Cup and the tour is conducted under a mathematical formula that allows everyone to compete for the top awards, regardless of gender, age or disability.

On Feb. 19 at 9 a.m., the Glenda Horton Memorial 600, part of the NRA-Beeman Grand Prix Championship, will be held in New Braunfels at the VFW Post #7110. For more information on the Glenda Horton Memorial 600, call (830) 609-5776. For information on the NRA Rehabilitative Shooting Unit, call Dave Baskin at (703) 267-1495.