NRA Disabled Shooting Services Enters Second Decade

Most Americans are aware of the National Rifle Association’s vigorous defense of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, their pioneering firearms-instructor training courses, and many historic competitions dating back into the late 19th century. But for the past 10 years, a lesser known NRA department has quietly been extending the shooting sports frontiers for all sportsmen, marksmen, and gun owners.

Officially established on January 1, 1994, NRA Disabled Shooting Services immediately went about developing the first totally new use for a rifle in over 100 years. Designated the NRA Rehabilitative Shooting Unit, the program utilizes a precision air rifle as a tool for physical therapists to use in the early rehabilitation of their post-injury inpatients.

Dave Baskin, manager of NRA Disabled Shooting Services, designed the program to give the supervising medical professional full control over all safety and performance factors during each shooting exercise, while working to improve the patient’s eye-hand coordination, range of motion, trunk balance, breath control, concentration skills, and self-confidence. There have been over 15 units installed in both civilian and veterans hospitals in the U.

S., and one at the National Rehabilitation Hospital of Ireland, in Dublin. It didn’t take long before NRA Disabled Shooting Services recognized the need for a national resource center, where individuals and organizations could call for guidance with their disability-related hunting and shooting sports challenges.

By the end of 1994, over 1,000 callers had availed themselves of the opportunity to speak directly with Dave Baskin, and draw upon his more than 17 years of experience with adaptive hunting and shooting sports.

At present, NRA Disabled Shooting Services is receiving over 5,000 calls annually on subjects as varied as locating an outfitter who can accommodate a disabled hunter, adapting a gun to be operated by a sportsman with the use of only one arm, and advising a marksmanship instructor on how to work with a youngster in a wheelchair. In 1996, NRA Disabled Shooting Services developed what has turned out to be the most accommodating and progressive marksmanship competition in the history of the shooting sports.

The NRA-Beeman Grand Prix Championship is a 12-city rifle and pistol tour for marksmen with physical disabilities. Baskin developed the tour’s format along the lines of the highly successful NASCAR Winston Cup auto-racing series, and the results have been dramatic in the areas of participant diversity, media interest, and sponsor recognition. The tour is conducted under a mathematical formula that allows everyone to compete for the top awards, regardless of gender, age, or disability.

In 2005, the NRA-Beeman Tour will bring it’s unique brand of shooting sports to major cities in Alabama, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia. As NRA Disabled Shooting Services enters its second decade, it is currently working on technological advancements that will benefit the disabled population, the shooting-sports community, and the outdoor recreation industry in general.

To contact NRA Disabled Shooting Services, call Editor Keith Lawrence Technical